Protopterus

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The African lungfish are the genus Protopterus and constitute the four species of lungfish found in Africa. Protopterus is the sole genus in the family Protopteridae.

The four recognised species are:

Protopterus aethiopicus (Heckel, 1851) - Marbled Lungfish
Protopterus amphibius (Peters, 1844) - East African Lungfish
Protopterus annectens (Owen, 1839) - African Lungfish
Protopterus dolloi (Boulenger, 1900) - Slender Lungfish

Protopterus aethiopicus is divided into three subspecies:

Protopterus aethiopicus aethiopicus
Protopterus aethiopicus congicus
Protopterus aethiopicus mesmaekersi

Protopterus annectens is divided into two subspecies:

Protopterus annectens annectens
Protopterus annectens brieni

The African lungfish are obligatory air breathers. They generally inhabit shallow waters such as swamps and marshes, however they also found in larger lakes such as Lake Victoria. The African mudfish, or lungfish, can live out of water for many months in its burrow of hardened mud beneath a dried-up streambed. Native Africans have been found to dig it up, burrow and all, and store it for later use when they want fresh fish to eat. These fish have also been carried in their mud burrows for exhibition in the United States. They have a rather snake-like appearance and a strong taste. Kees et al., 2002 mentions that the taste is such that it "is locally either highly appreciated or strongly disliked." As technology advancements such as longlines and gillnets have been increasingly applied in the Lake over the past fifty years, it is believed that the lungfish populations there are decreasing.

References

Kees (P. C.) Goudswaard, Frans Witte, Lauren J. Chapman, Decline of the African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) in Lake Victoria (East Africa) East African Wild Life Society, African Journal of Ecology, 40, 42-52, 2002

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