Family Polypteridae - Bichirs
Order : Polypteriformes Polypteridae
Class : Cladistii
No. in FishBase : Genera : 2 | Species : 14 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes
Environment : Fresh : Yes | Brackish : Yes | Marine : No
Division : Primary freshwater
Aquarium : some
First Fossil Record : lower   Tertiary   upper   Eocene Ref. Berg, L.S. 1958
Remark : Confined to the freshwaters of Africa. Body elongated or anguilliform covered with thick bonelike rhombic scales sheathed with ganoin. Symmetric caudal fin; dorsal with one series of finlets formed by a spinous ray supporting one small membrane. Pectorals with lobed base covered with scales. Swim bladder bilobed, left lobe less developed than right; located ventral to and attached to esophagus; serves as accessory respiratory organ. With functional gills; young with branched external gills which disappear in adults. Pelvics lacking in Calamoichthys calabaricus; body elongate and with pelvics in Polypterus. About 1.2 m maximum length but most species are below 30 cm. Nine of the ten species occur in the Zaire river basin.
Etymology : Greek, poly = a lot of + Greek, pteron = wing ( Ref. 45335).
Reproductive guild : nonguarders
Typical activity level : sluggish
Main Ref. : Nelson, J.S. 1994
Coordinator :
Deep Fin Classification : Osteichthyes | Actinopterygii | Cladistia | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Polypteriformes | | | Polypteridae

Show species images | Show valid names | Nominal species list | Identification keys | CAS specimen photos | References

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948 ]
Glossary
[ e.g. oophagy ]


Species/Synonymy list for the family Polypteridae as currently in FishBase

Important recommendation:

The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.

Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.

But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.

Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.

This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).

The list ordered as follows:

Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.

Show all | Show only accepted name | Show only accepted and original names
Scientifc name Status Senior/Junior synonym Combination
Polypterus bichir Lacepède, 1803
acceptedseniororiginal
Polypterus bichir bichir Lacepède, 1803
synonymseniorchange in rank
Polypterus lapradei Steindachner, 1869
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus bichir lapradei Steindachner, 1869
synonymjuniorchange in rank
! Polypterus bichir lapradii Steindachner, 1869
synonymjuniorchange in rank
! Polypterus lapradii Steindachner, 1869
synonymjuniororiginal
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
! Polypterus senagalus Cuvier, 1829
synonymseniororiginal
! Polypterus senegallus Cuvier, 1829
synonymseniororiginal
! Polypterus senegalensis Steindachner, 1870
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus arnaudii Duméril, 1870
synonymjuniororiginal
! Polypterus arnaudi Duméril, 1870
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus bichir (non Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1802)
misappliedmisappliedmisapplied
Polypterus lapradei (non Steindachner, 1869)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus delhezi (non Boulenger, 1899)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
! Polypterus endlicheri Heckel, 1847
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
Polypterus bichir (non Lacepède, 1803)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus senegalensis (non Steindachner, 1870)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus palmas Ayres, 1850
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
! Polypterus palmus Ayres, 1850
synonymseniororiginal
Polypterus buettikoferi Steindachner, 1891
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniorchange in rank
! Polypterus büttikoferi Steindachner, 1891
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus lowei Boulenger, 1911
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniorchange in rank
Polypterus bichir (non Lacepède, 1803)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus congicus Boulenger, 1898
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
synonymseniorchange in rank
synonymseniorchange in rank
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus endlicheri (non Heckel, 1847)
misappliedmisappliedmisapplied
Polypterus lapradi (non Steindachner, 1869)
misappliedmisappliedmisapplied
Polypterus lapradii (non Steindachner, 1869)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus delhezi (non Boulenger, 1899)
misappliedmisappliedmisapplied
Polypterus weeksii Boulenger, 1898
acceptedseniororiginal
! Polypterus weeksi Boulenger, 1898
synonymseniororiginal
Polypterus schoutedeni Pellegrin, 1923
synonymjuniororiginal
Polypterus delhezi Boulenger, 1899
acceptedseniororiginal
! Polypterus ansorgei delhezi Boulenger, 1899
synonymseniorchange in rank
Polypterus retropinnis Vaillant, 1899
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
! Polypterus retropinus Vaillant, 1899
synonymseniororiginal
Polypterus palmas (non Ayres, 1850)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus lowei (non Boulenger, 1911)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus ornatipinnis Boulenger, 1902
acceptedseniororiginal
Polypterus weeksii (non Boulenger, 1898)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Polypterus ansorgii Boulenger, 1910
acceptedseniororiginal
! Polypterus ansorgei Boulenger, 1910
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
Polypterus polli Gosse, 1988
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniorchange in rank
ambiguoushomonymoriginal
Polypterus palmas (non Ayres, 1850)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
acceptedseniororiginal
Polypterus mokelembembe Schliewen & Schäfer, 2006
acceptedseniororiginal
Polypterus retropinnis (non Vaillant, 1899)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniornew
synonymseniornew
! Calamichthys calabarica (Smith, 1865)
synonymseniornew
! Calamichthys calabaricus (Smith, 1865)
synonymseniornew
! Calanichthys calabaricus (Smith, 1865)
synonymseniornew
! Erpetoichthys calabaris (Smith, 1865)
synonymseniornew
synonymjuniororiginal
ambiguousotheroriginal
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