| Polypterus palmas | |
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| Polypterus palmas | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Polypteriformes |
| Family: | Polypteridae |
| Genus: | Polypterus |
| Species: | P. palmas |
| Binomial name | |
| Polypterus palmas | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms [2] [3] | |
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Polypterus palmas, also called the shortfin or marbled bichir, is a fish in the family Polypteridae found in freshwater environments throughout West Africa. [4]
P. palmas has a wide range; it can be found in freshwater environments at a demersal depth range in Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Liberia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. [5] It was listed as "least concern" within this range by the IUCN in 2021. [1]
The maximum recorded length of P. palmas is 35.3 cm (13.9) inches, although lengths of around 30 cm (11.8 inches) are much more common. [4] It can be distinguished from other similarly-sized bichirs such as Polypterus senegalus and Polypterus polli by its bright gold coloration, speckled pattern, and dark transverse barring.
Two color morphs of this species exist—P. palmas "palmas" is found in more Southern locales and has a more pale yellow body with thinner dark barring, while P. palmas "buettikoferi" is from more Northern locales, and exhibits a deep gold with thicker dark barring. These two morphs were once considered to be subspecies of P. palmas, [6] but their taxonomic validity has since been revoked. [7] Polypterus polli was also once considered a subspecies of P. palmas, but was later elevated to species status. [8]
Bichirs are stabilomorphic fishes that diverged from other ray-finned fishes possibly as early as the Devonian period. As such, P. palmas can be considered a living fossil, and exhibits many "primitive" traits when compared to other extant fishes. This species has true lungs in addition to gills, and uses a blowhole-like organ called a spiracle to take breaths of atmospheric oxygen (a trait it shares with stem-tetrapods). This allows P. palmas to survive poorly oxygenated water conditions—such as in dried-out seasonal pools—or even entirely on land indefinitely provided that their spiracles and gills remain damp. Juvenile bichirs have underdeveloped lungs, so they exhibit external gills—much like a larval salamander or lungfish—with a branching, featherlike architecture to maximize surface area for oxygen exchange until their lungs mature. [5]
Like most bichirs, P. palmas's vision is somewhat lackluster, so it instead hunts using its lateral line and sense of smell. One of its notable stabilomorphic traits is its accessory olfactory organ—an internal structure that has become vestigial or nonexistent in most extant fishes. Due to its retention of this organ and elongate, nostril-like structures called nares, P. palmas has a very precise sense of smell. [9]
P. palmas is quite popular in the aquarium trade. Captive breeding has not been observed in this species, so P. palmas in the aquarium trade are wild-caught. Because it reaches lengths of over a foot, [4] a tank of at least 75 gallons is required for keeping this species in captivity. They prefer soft, slightly acidic water, but are very hardy fishes tolerant of a wide range of water chemistries in the aquarium. [5] As nocturnal fish that hail from densely vegetated waters, they appreciate a lot of shade and places to hide. They can be sustained on a diet of frozen or live foods, such as bloodworms or earthworms.
Its captive behavior is typical of smaller bichirs. It is not particularly aggressive and territorial disputes only tend to happen with other bichirs, and they tend to be over very quickly once a bichir pecking order has been established. However, as an opportunistic predator, P. palmas is liable to eat small tankmates. The ideal tankmates for P. palmas are large, tall-bodied fishes that tend to stay higher in the water column so as not to compete for territory (such as large cichlids), or other similarly-sized bichirs (such as Polypterus senegalus , Polypterus retropinnis , Polypterus polli , and Polypterus mokelembembe ).
Bichirs and the reedfish comprise Polypteridae, a family of archaic ray-finned fishes and the only family in the order Polypteriformes.
Gouramis, or gouramies, are a group of freshwater anabantiform fish that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of Indonesian origin, is also used for fish of the families Helostomatidae and Anabantidae.
The reedfish, ropefish, or snakefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, is a species of fish in the family Polypteridae alongside the bichirs. It is the only member of the genus Erpetoichthys. It is native to fresh and brackish waters in West and Central Africa. The reedfish possesses a pair of lungs in addition to gills, allowing it to survive in very oxygen-poor water. It is threatened by habitat loss through palm oil plantations, other agriculture, deforestation, and urban development.
Polypterus senegalus, the Senegal bichir, gray bichir or Cuvier's bichir, and sometimes called the "dinosaur eel", "dinosaur bichir", or "dragon fish" is in the pet trade due to its lungfish-like appearance, which was described as more primitive and prehistoric than other modern fishes. It is a prototypical species of fish in the genus Polypterus, meaning most of its features are held across the genus. It is commonly kept in captivity by hobbyists. They are native from Africa where they are the most widespread species of the genus.
Polypterus is a genus of freshwater fish in the bichir family (Polypteridae) of order Polypteriformes. The type species is the Nile bichir. Fish in this genus live in various areas in Africa. Polypterus is the only known vertebrate to have lungs, but no trachea.
Polypterus bichir lapradei is a subspecies of freshwater fish in the family Polypteridae. P. bichir lapradei are demersal, primitive, and popular with experienced aquarists.
The Guinean bichir is a ray-finned fish from rivers and other freshwater habitats in Western Africa, ranging from Guinea-Bissau to Nigeria. It reaches a maximum length of 72 cm (28 in), is greenish-brown to black in color, and has large, dark spots and blotches on its sides. On mature specimens, the bottom jaw may protrude very slightly. It is similar to some other bichirs with which it can be confused.
Polypterus ornatipinnis, the ornate bichir, is a bony fish found in Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River basin in Central and East Africa.
The barred bichir, armoured bichir, bandback bichir, or banded bichir is an elongated fish found in the Congo River, specifically in the upper and middle portions. This species is one of the more commonly available in commercial pet stores.
P. senegalus may refer to:
Cladistia is a clade of bony fishes whose only living members are the bichirs of tropical Africa. Their major synapomorphies are a heterocercal tail in which the dorsal fin has independent rays, and a posteriorly elongated parasphenoid.
The saddled bichir, Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri, is a prototypical subspecies of the Polypterus genus, meaning most of its features are held across the genus.
Polypterus endlicheri, the saddled bichir, is one of the largest species of the Polypterus genus of freshwater fish.
Polypterus congicus, the Congo bichir, is a species of bichir with a maximum recorded size of 970 millimetres (38 in). The colour also varies from yellowish brown to grey, darker in the top, paler in the ventral area. It has a pattern of around 8 irregular vertical bands along the flanks of the fish, that do not extend completely onto the ventral surface. The lower jaw is prominent, much like Polypterus endlicheri. The male has a wider and thicker anal fin. These fish are commonly sold as pets.
The West African bichir or retropinnis bichir, is a freshwater fish in the family Polypteridae, is found in the central Congo River basin and Ogooué River in Africa. It is a long, slender fish that grows to a maximum length of about 34 cm (13 in).
Polypterus teugelsi is a species of carnivorous, nocturnal bichir that lives in the Cross River drainage basin in the country of Cameroon. P. teugelsi was described in 2004 by Ralf Britz.
Polypterus mokelembembe is a species of the fish genus Polypterus, found in the central basin of the Congo River. It was once considered a morph of the closely related Polypterus retropinnis, but was given species status in 2006 with a description that reclassified both fishes. Because of the recency of the species' description and the fact that P. mokelembembe is the paralectotype of P. retropinnis, they are often mistaken for one another in the aquarium trade.
Polypterus polli, Poll's bichir, is a species of bichir from the Malebo Pool and the lower and central basins of the Congo River. It was named in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll.
The Bichir Handbook is a book written by science communicator and graphic designer Joshua Pickett from Salisbury, England, about living fossil fishes known as Polypteriformes (bichirs), found throughout west and central Africa, and formerly South America. In the book, Pickett describes all extant Polypteridae, and details extinct species with illustrated reconstructions. The book was designed by the author and illustrated by paleoartist Dorian Noël.
