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Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829

Gray bichir
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Polypterus senegalus
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Guinea-Bissau country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Polypterus senegalus senegalus is known from Géba River (Ref. 2835), Corubal River (Ref. 2835) and Kogon River (Ref. 2835, 3039).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/pu.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Gosse, J.-P., 1990
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Populärnamn | synonymer | Catalog of Fishes(Släkte, Arter) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

> Polypteriformes (Bichirs) > Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Etymology: Polypterus: Greek, poly = a lot of + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335);  senegalus: Named after M. d'Arnaud, collector of the two specimens (Ref. 1688).
  More on author: Cuvier.

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

; sötvatten bottenlevande; pH range: 6.0 - 8.0; dH range: 5 - 19; flodvandrande (Ref. 51243).   Tropical; 25°C - 28°C (Ref. 2060); 16°N - 2°S, 17°W - 37°E

Utbredning Länder | FAO områden | Ekosystem | Förekomster | Point map | Utplanteringar | Faunafri

Africa: subspecies Polypterus senegalus senegalus known from West Africa, in Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Volta and Chad basins (Ref. 2835, 3188, 81263), up to Nile River basin (Ref. 2835, 3188) and lakes Turkana (Ref. 3188) and Albert (Ref. 41590, 48922, 48960). Subspecies Polypterus senegalus meridionalis known from middle and upper Congo River basin (Ref. 2835, 3188, 4910, 45434).

Length at first maturity / Size / Vikt / Age

Maturity: Lm 19.0, range 15 - 23 cm
Max length : 70.0 cm SL hane/ej könsbestämd; (Ref. 3188); publicerad maxvikt: 207.00 g (Ref. 3013)

Short description Bestämningsnycklar | Morfologi | Morfometri

Taggstrålar i ryggfenan (totalt) : 8 - 11; Taggstrålar i analfenan: 14 - 17; Ryggkotor: 53 - 59. Diagnosis: Polypterus senegalus is characterized by jaws of equal length or an upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw and a pectoral fin not reaching the first dorsal ray (Ref. 2756, 2835, 42908, 43035, 81263).

Biologi     Ordlista (t.ex. epibenthic)

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); This species inhabits marginal swamps and freshwater lagoons (Ref. 3066) and it appears to favor sheltered inshore habitats (Ref. 3034); it inhabits the muddy regions at the sides of rivers and swampy waters, where it lies quiet or glides about with snake-like movements (Ref. 49805). During the hottest hours of the day, it comes to the surface just on the outer edge of the vegetation, and it goes back to the bottom when disturbed (Ref. 45962). It feeds on insects, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs and fishes (Ref. 4903, Ref. 28714). Polypterus senegalus senegalus is mainly insectivorous (Ref. 367). Longevity of Polypterus senegalus in captivity can be 34 years and more (Ref. 48954). Larval fish 1.1-3.8 cm SL were found in papyrus root mat and juveniles up to 10 cm SL retaining external gills were found in fringing water hyacinth. Feeds mainly on fishes (Ref. 9695), insects, crustaceans, mollusks, frogs as well as on plant fragments and seeds.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduktion | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larver

In Polypterus senegalus courtship starts with a series of leaps from the surface by usually only one of the pair at a time, followed by a slow descent through the water; after a while the male stays very close to the female and at times the female will remain motionless in the water and the male will come up to her from behind and nudge her with sidewise movements of his head; the enlarged and swollen anal fin of the male is folded in a cup-like fashion and is used to brush the female (Ref. 42791). No nest is constructed, but the eggs are laid a few at a time throughout the thick vegetation (Ref. 42791). The larvae, which move about with the male parent in a dense school, are provided with accessory gills and appear very salamander-like (Ref. 42791).

Main reference Upload your references | referenser | Koordinator | Medarbetare

Gosse, J.P. and J. Daget, 2003. Polypteridae. p. 101-112. In D. Paugy, C. Lévêque and G.G Teugels (eds.) The fresh and brackish water fishes of West Africa Volume 1. Coll. faune et flore tropicales 40. Institut de recherche de développement, Paris, France, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris, France and Musée royal de l'Afrique Central, Tervuren, Belgium, 457p. (Ref. 81263)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 07 June 2019

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Fiskeri: kommersiell
FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

Ytterligare information

Trophic ecology
Födoslag
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predatorer
Ecology
Ekologi
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduktion
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larver
Larvdynamik
Distribution
Länder
FAO områden
Ekosystem
Förekomster
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Anatomy
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Hjärnstorlek
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fiskljud
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetik
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Vattenbruksprofiler
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Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
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References
referenser

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5002   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00457 (0.00321 - 0.00650), b=2.98 (2.88 - 3.08), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trofisk nivå (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Resiliens (Ref. 120179):  Låg, lägsta populationsfördubblingstid 4,5-14 år (tmax=34 in Aquarium; Fec < 1,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate to high vulnerability (54 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.