Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Classis: Dipnoi
Ordo: Lepidosireniformes
Familia: Protopteridae
Genus: Protopterus
Species: Protopterus amphibius
Name
Protopterus amphibius (Peters, 1844)
References
Protopterus amphibius – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
English: East African lungfish
中文: 東非肺魚
The gilled lungfish (Protopterus amphibius), also known as the East African lungfish, is a species of African lungfish.[1][5] It is found in the swamps and flood plains of East Africa, and has been positively identified in Kenya, Somalia and Mozambique.[1][5] Records from Tanzania require confirmation[5] and may be the result of introductions.[1]
Description
Protopterus amphibius generally only reaches a length of 44 cm (17 in), making it the smallest extant lungfish.[5][6] This lungfish is uniform blue or slate grey in colour. It has small or inconspicuous black spots and a pale grey belly.[5] Like all African lungfish it has two lungs and is an obligate air-breather.[6] Also, like all other African lungfish, it is able to burrow and form a mucous cocoon for protection in a process known as estivation.[6]
Habitat
The gilled lungfish is a primarily demersal fish, living largely within the riverbeds of the Zambezi River system of East Africa.[7] It also inhabits similar areas in the wetlands of the region.[1]
Conservation
The gilled lungfish is listed as Least Concern, partially because reported numbers are high and partially because of the lack of data.[1] It is eaten for food by some natives of the area however the numbers lost to this practice are very small.[7] More dangerous threats are the damming of the Zambezi, which will reduce the size of the delta in which the fish live, and pollution in areas that the fish inhabit[1] as well as encroachment of wetlands for agriculture that reduces the available habitat.[1]
References
Bills, R.; Engelbrecht, J.; Getahun, A.; Vreven, E. (2010). "Protopterus amphibius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T182130A7811584. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182130A7811584.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
ITIS.gov (Retrieved Feb. 19, 2010.)
Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "Ceratodiformes – recent lungfishes". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (2017). "Protopteridae". FishBase version (02/2017). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2014). "Protopterus amphibius" in FishBase. April 2014 version.
Primitive Fishes.com Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved Feb. 19, 2010.)
"Kenyan Lungfish (Protopterus amphibius) - Information on Kenyan Lungfish - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2015-06-03.
LungFish.info
Gosse, J.-P. 1984 Protopteridae. p. 8-17. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). Volume I. ORSTOM, Paris and MRAC, Tervuren. 410 p. (Ref. 3498)
Nelson, J. S. 2006. Fishes of the World, 4th edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-25031-7.
Rosen, D. E., P. I. Forey, B. G. Gardiner, and C. Patterson. 1981. Lungfishes, tetrapods, paleontology, and plesiomorphy. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 167(4): 159-276.
Schultze, H. P., and J. Chorn. 1997. The Permo-Carboniferous genus Sagenodus and the beginning of modern lungfish. Contributions to Zoology 61(7): 9-70.
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