Polypterids (Bichirs and Ropefish)

The Polypteridae are primitive, snake-like fish from Africa. They are predatory and essentially carnivorous, but largely opportunistic feeders. They are able to breathe air via a lung-like modification to their swim bladder, and can travel over land using their strong pelvic fins. For this reason, a tight-fitting lid is recommended for the aquarium, to prevent any escapes.

The are two genera: the genus Erpetoichthys contains only one species - E. calabaricus, known as the Rope or Reed Fish. The other genus contains the Polypterus species (bichirs), of which there are more than a dozen species and subspecies described . The more commonly encountered ones are described below.

More information on Polypterids can be found on The Tropical Tank's new sister website, Polypterus.info!

Scientific name	Common name	Size	Origin
Erpetoichthys calabaricus	Ropefish	36" (92cm)	West Africa, Cameroon and Nigeria
Polypterus delhezi	Armoured bichir	14" (35cm)	Central Africa: Congo river, Upper and middle Congo
Polypterus ornatipinnis	Ornate bichir	24" (61cm)	Central and East Africa: Congo river basin, Lake Tanganyika
Polypterus palmas	Marbled bichir	12" (30cm)	Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea
Polypterus senegalus	Senegal bichir	16" (40cm)	Africa: East, West and central

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