Polypterides are among the most primitive of the ray-finned

fishes, or Actinopterygii, the dominant group of modern fishes. The

long, narrow body of a Polypterus is 10 inches to 3 ft long depending on the species

and is covered by thick, rhomboid scales made of an enamel-like substance

called ganoine. Such scales were also present in the earliest

ray-finned fishes (now extinct) and are quite different from those

of other living fishes. The dorsal fin of the bichir is split into a

row of small, saillike finlets that are erected when the animal is

agitated. Like the sharks and the rays, it has a pair of spiracles.

The bichir seems especially adapted to life in dry environments.

Instead of the swim bladder of most ray-finned fishes, it has a pair

of lungs, somewhat like those of the lungfishes, which enables it to

survive out of water for several hours. It also resembles the

lungfishes in having a pair of external gills when newly hatched.

The bichir is a bottom-dwelling fish, found in the Congo and in the freshwater

rivers and lakes of Africa. When these rivers overflow in late summer, bichirs

move out to spawn in the flood marshes. It is sometimes caught as a

food fish. In addition to the ten species and six subspeciesof Polypterus, the bichir

family also includes the ropefish,Erpetoichthys calabaricus, similar in

character and distribution, but with a longer, more eellike form.

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Bichirs are classified as follows

Taxonomic hierarchy

Kingdom Animalia -- Animal

Phylum Chordata -- chordates

Subphylum Vertebrata -- , vertebrates

Superclass Osteichthyes -- bony fishes

Class Actinopterygii -- ray-finned fishes, spiny rayed fishes

Subclass Chondrostei -- paddlefishes, sturgeons

Order Polypteriformes

Family Polypteridae -- bichirs, birchers, lobed-finned pike, reed fishes

Genus Polypterus

Species(example) Polypterus senegalus senegalus - gray bichir-Cuviers bichir

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Species and sizes

maximum known sizes often smaller in captivity

Upper Jaw Species-Upper jaw protrudes past lower jaw

P. palmas palmas ('palmas' bichir)- 13"

P. palmas polli ('marbled bichir)- 14"

P. palmas buettikoferi ('buettikoferi' bichir)- 13"

P. ornatipinnis ('ornate' bichir)- 27"

P. delhezi ('armoured' or 'delhez's' bichir)- 14"

P. senegalus senegalus ('Senegal' or 'Cuiver's' bichir)- 12"

P. senegalus meridionalis- 12"

P. retropinnis retropinnis ('retropinnis' bichir)- 14"

P. retropinnis lowei ('Lowe's' bichir)- 12"

P. weeksi ('week's' bichir)- 20"

P.teugelsi(new species not described yet)

Lower Jaw Species-Lower protrudes past upper jaw

P. endlicheri endlicheri ('saddled' or 'red' bichir)- 32", possibly more

P. endlicheri congicus ('giant' or 'congo' bichir)- 39"

P. lapradei ('Lapradei' bichir)- 24"

P. bichir bichir-30+ ''

P.ansorgii*

E. calabaricus ('Ropefish')- 15"-30"

Variations

There are variations of some of the above including

short bodied

longfinned

albinoism

leustic

albino bichirs have a pink/ white body with red eyes if they are a species with pronounced markings these are often yellowish in color

.Leustic (platinum) are silver/whitish bodies with black eyes.

*There are only 3 known examples to exist and they are in museums its possible

this species is extinct.-Anne

Thanks anne, very good post.

Is there any way of telling short bodied from other, i have read of people whith short bodied albinos. Or will i have to wait till hes bigger to tell.

Do you know what species are available in short body form?

I have never seen a juvi shortbody,I know they breed them in Japan(endlicheri) I have heard of short body senegals too-Anne

But they are the only two species that have bred consistently I know there

is work going on to spawn other species in captivity.

Thanks anne, much appreciated

Interesting stuff.

With encyclopedic information like this please quote your source(s).

I found several 'copies' of part of this

here is one

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/b1/bichir.asp

There is nothing wrong with collating info like this. Please do, it's valuable for the fnzas site users. But, quote your source(s) !

Cees

awesome post, thank you for the effort