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Protopterus dolloi Boulenger, 1900

Slender lungfish
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Protopterus dolloi
Picture by Bekins, R.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Dipneusti (lungfishes) > Ceratodontiformes (Australian lungfishes) > Protopteridae (African lungfishes)
Etymology: Protopterus: Greek, pro = first, in front of + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335);  dolloi: Named after Louis Dollo, for his work on the phylogeny of the lungfishes (Ref. 41613).
More on author: Boulenger.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Africa: widespread in the lower and middle Congo River basin (Ref. 3498, 40587, 81627, 104724). Also known from the Ogowe, Kouilou-Niari and Loeme rivers (Ref. 3498, 40587, 81627).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 130 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3498); max. published weight: 11.0 kg (Ref. 41589)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Diagnosis: Body cylindrical and more elongate than in other Protopterus species (Ref. 81627). Pectoral and pelvic fins filamentous (Ref. 40587). About 85-95 scales on the longitudinal line between operculum and anus (Ref. 104724).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Protopterus dolloi is not aestivating in cocoons during the dry-season, because the habitat in which it lives is never completely dry (Ref. 81627); although it never lost the capability to aestivate (Ref. 40587). Therefore, the tunnel which it digs is not for hibernation but functions as a protected chamber during reproduction, which takes place in the dry season (Ref. 81627). The male guards the eggs and larvae in the nest, which is built in the mud of the swamps, while the females can be found in the open water of the rivers (Ref. 41587, 81627). The food of Protopterus dolloi are fishes and insects, but during the time of reproduction its food is more vegetarian (Ref. 40587, 46852).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Nests are found from June until October; the male guards the eggs and young (Ref. 40587).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Boden, G., 2007. Protopteridae. p. 165-167. In M.L.J. Stiassny, G.G. Teugels and C.D. Hopkins (eds.) The fresh and brackish water fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa. Volume I. Collection Faune et Flore tropicales 42. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, and Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium. 800 pp. (Ref. 81627)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 16 February 2009

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Trophic ecology
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.6602   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00155 - 0.00977), b=3.10 (2.88 - 3.32), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.2   ±0.40 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Assuming tmax > 30).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (78 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 34.6 [7.9, 105.9] mg/100g; Iron = 0.98 [0.38, 4.94] mg/100g; Protein = 3.18 [0.00, 7.00] %; Omega3 = 0.247 [0.082, 0.731] g/100g; Selenium = 78.3 [23.7, 253.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 18.9 [6.9, 48.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.29 [0.66, 2.50] mg/100g (wet weight);