Polypterus polli, Poll's bichir

Polypterus polli Gosse, 1988

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

Cladistii (bichirs) > Polypteriformes (Bichirs) > Polypteridae (Bichirs)
Etymology: Polypterus: Greek, poly = a lot of + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335); polli: Named in honor of Prof. Max Poll (Ref. 46409).
Eponymy: Dr Max Fernand Leon Poll (1908–1991) was a Belgian ichthyologist, and ‘connoisseur of the fish fauna’. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

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

Freshwater; demersal. Tropical

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

Africa: lower and middle Congo River basin (Ref. 28149, 46409) in Cameroon, Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 32.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 28149)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 5 - 7; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 14; Vertebrae: 50 - 56. Cylindrical body (Ref. 28149, Ref. 46409). Upper jaw a little longer than lower jaw (Ref. 28149). Number of dorsal finlets: 5-7 (Ref. 28149, Ref. 51884); used to distinguish Polypterus palmas polli from P. p. palmas and P. p. buettikoferi (Ref. 28149). Pectoral fin not reaching dorsal fin origin (Ref. 28149). Ganoid scales (Ref. 42904): 52-55 lateral line scales, 32-39 scales around body, 22-28 predorsal scales (Ref. 28149, Ref. 51884). Dorsal surface and flanks with large black blotches, forming a dense reticulate pattern, ventral surface uniform pale (Ref. 28149). The fleshy base of the pectoral fin with a large grey to black spot (Ref. 28149, Ref. 46409). Dorsal fin spotted, pectoral fin with a striped pattern in some specimens, pelvic fin pale and anal fin sometimes slightly colored (Ref. 28149).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: circular.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); This entomophagous fish lives in swamps and zones of flood (Ref. 41580).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Suzuki, D., M.C. Brandley and M. Tokita, 2010. The mitochondrial phylogeny of an ancient lineage of ray-finned fishes (Polypteridae) with implications for the evolution of body elongation, pelvic fin loss, and craniofacial morphology in Osteichthyes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10:1-12. (Ref. 88084)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

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

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |