Protopterus annectens annectens (Owen, 1839)

West African lungfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Sarcopterygii \| Lepidosireniformes \| Protopteridae
Synonyms	Lepidosiren annectens, Protopterus annectens, Rhinocryptis annectens, ... more
Common names	Tana lungfish, Lungfish, African lungfish, ... more

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Image of Protopterus annectens annectens (West African lungfish)

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Main reference

Teugels, G.G., C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and K. Traoré. 1988. (Ref. 272)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3799); max. published weight: 4,000 g (Ref. 3069)

Environment

Demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater

Climate / Range

Tropical; 25°C - 30°C (Ref. 2059); 22°N - 30°S

Africa: Senegal, Niger, Gambia, Volta and Chad basins, also in temporary tributaries of Chari River in Western Sudan (Ref. 3498); Bandama and Comoé basins in Côte d'Ivoire and certain basins of Sierra Leone and Guinea (Ref. 2834).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Prominent snout; small eyes, its diameter 9-15 times in the head length (Ref. 2834). Paired fins long and filamentous (Ref. 367). Pectoral fins with a basal fringe are about 3 times the head length; pelvic fins are about 2 times the head length (Ref. 2834). In general 3 external gills inserted posterior to the gill slits and above pectoral fins (Ref. 2834). 40-50 scales between operculum and anus, 36-40 around the body before dorsal-fin origin (Ref. 2834). 34-37 pairs of ribs (Ref. 41467). Cycloid scales embedded in the skin (Ref. 3023). Dorsal side olive or brown colored, ventral side lighter; great blackish or brownish spots on the body and fins except on the belly (Ref. 367).

Found in marginal swamps and backwaters of rivers and lakes (Ref. 30488). It is associated strongly with life of aquatic plants in terms of breeding and feeding ecologies (Ref. 30558). Nests are made in weedy areas (Ref. 30558). It normally lives on flood plains and when these dry up, during the dry season, it secretes a thin slime around itself which dries into a fragile cocoon; it can exist in this state for over a year, although normally it hibernates only from the end of one wet season to the start of the next (Ref. 3023, Ref. 30558). For hibernating the fish literally chews its way into the substrate ejecting mud out of its gill openings; it may reach a depth of 3-25 cm below the bottom depending on the length of the fish; the lungfish wriggles around, thereby hollowing out a bulb-shaped chamber and coming to rest with its nose pointing upward; they breathe air at the mouth of the chamber's tube and then sink back into the expanded part of the chamber (Ref. 36739). As the water disappears the respiratory trips cease; air reaches the fish via the tube to the surface (Ref. 36739). Also under aquatic conditions this lungfish can survive more than three and half years of starvation; it shows the same behavior - no motion and same body posture - as an aestivating specimen (Ref. 51339). Carnivorous, food includes mollusks (Ref. 30488), but also frogs, fish and seed (Ref. 13851); in Kenya it feeds mostly on plant material, like roots (Ref. 30558).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquaculture: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Assuming tmax > 30)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Binohlan, Crispina B.

Modified by Boden, Gert

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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