Polypterus endlicherii
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Polypterus_endlicheri_endlicheri.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Polypterus endlicherii
| authority = Heckel, 1847
| range_map = Polypterus endlicheri Map.jpg
| synonyms = * Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri Heckel 1847
| synonyms_ref = {{Cite web|last1=Froese|first1=R.|last2=Pauly|first2=D.|year=2017|title=Polypteridae |url=http://www.fishbase.se/Summary/FamilySummary.php?ID=31|website=FishBase version (02/2017)|accessdate=18 May 2017}}{{cite journal |last1=Van Der Laan |first1=Richard |last2=Eschmeyer |first2=William N. |last3=Fricke |first3=Ronald |title=Family-group names of Recent fishes |journal=Zootaxa |date=11 November 2014 |volume=3882 |issue=1 |pages=1–230 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 |pmid=25543675 |doi-access=free |url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/download/zootaxa.3882.1.1/10480 }}
}}
File:Polypterus endlicherii MHNT ICHT 1995 8.jpg]]
Polypterus endlicherii, the saddled bichir, is one of the largest species of the Polypterus genus of freshwater fish.
Named in honor of botanist Stephan Endlicher (1804–1849), who apparently discovered the species in the fish collection at the Naturhistorisches Museum (Vienna).{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/polypteridae/ | title = Family POLYPTERIDAE Bonaparte 1835 (Bichirs) | access-date= 21 September 2024 | author1 = Christopher Scharpf | author2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara | date = 23 February 2023}}
Description
The species reaches a maximum recorded length of about {{cvt|63|cm|in|1}} as an unsexed male. The maximum recorded weight was about {{cvt|3.3|kg|lb|1}}.{{cite web|title=Saddled Bichir – Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri|date=27 April 2013 |url=http://www.tropicalfishsite.com/saddled-bichir-polypterus-endlicheri-endlicheri/|publisher=Tropical Fish Site|accessdate=10 September 2013}} It can be identified by its flattened head with a prominent lower jaw that is larger than its upper jaw. Its dorsal side is of a green and yellow color. Its head and fins also have black spots on them.
This fish is recorded to be piscivorous. Their diet also includes snails and crustaceans. Their reproduction cycle begins in the rainy season when the chemistry of the water and temperature change. This species is also known to be an egg scatterer. P. endlicherii can live in aquaria with proper maintenance.
Habitat and distribution
Polypterus endlicherii is recorded to be found in freshwater habitats within demersal depth ranges. This species is native to a tropical climate.{{FishBase|Polypterus|endlicherii|id=2385|month= September|year= 2013}}
Polypterus endlicherii is found in the Nile River, the Chad Basin, the Niger River, the Volta River, and the Bandama River of Africa. This species is native to Cameroon, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Chad, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Sudan, Benin, and the Central African Republic.{{cite web|title=Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri Saddled Bichir|url=http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/polypterus-endlicheri-endlicheri/|publisher=Seriously Fish|accessdate=10 September 2013}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q7226873|from2=Q1099750}}
Category:Taxa named by Johann Jakob Heckel
Category:Fish described in 1847
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