Protopterus
(redirected from African Lungfish)

Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia

0.03 sec.

Protopterus

a genus of fishes of the subclass Dipnoi. There are four species (according to other data, three), the largest of which are Protopterus aethiopicus (reaches a length of 2 m) and the better-known P. annectens. Protopteruses inhabit fresh-waters of tropical Africa. The cylindrical body is covered with small scales; the paired fins are flagellate. The larvae have external gill appendages.

Protopteruses feed on fish and large invertebrates, mostly at night. They spawn in August and September (during the rainy season). The male builds a brood nest in the form of an underground burrow and guards the eggs and larvae. If the water should dry up completely, the fishes enter a torpid state. They burrow into the bottom and form a cocoon that fits tightly around the body. During this period, they breathe atmospheric air and may go without water for five to nine months or longer.

REFERENCE

Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 4, part 1. Moscow, 1971.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Encyclopedia browser	?		Full browser	?
No references found			THE African lungfish not only breathes air but burrows as well. Mailbox; Testing times over school exams by Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) And the African lungfish not only breathes air, it burrows as well. Look forward to a great new era by Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England)			Africa Africa Industrialization Day Africa Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Union of Soviet Africa Malaria Day Africa, Roman African African American Day Parade African American Women in Cinema International Film Festival African art African arts African buffalo African Burial Ground National Monument African cherry African Crowned Crane African Democratic Assembly African Development Bank African ebony African Gray African greenheart African Horse Sickness African languages African Liberation Day African lily African lion hound African literature African Lungfish African mahogany African Methodist Episcopal Church African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church African Methodist Quarterly Meeting Day African music African National Congress African Oil Palm African Party of Independence for Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands African Platform African religions African rosewood African sleeping sickness African Studies African superplume African Swine Fever African Trade Union Confederation African trypanosomiasis African Union African violet African World Festival African/Caribbean International Festival of Life Africanus, Sextus Julius Afridis Afrifa, Akwazi Amankwa Afrigid Culture			African Jungleball African Jungleball African Juniper African Laboratory for Natural Products African Labour Research Network African Language Teachers Association African Languages African Languages African Large Predator Research Unit African Laser Centre African Leadership and Progress Network African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries African Liberation Day African lily African lily African Linkage Project African Lion African Lion African Lion African Lion Dog African Lion Dog African Lion Dog African Lion Hound African Lion Hound African Lion Hound African Lion Working Group African literature African Love Bird Society African love grass African Lowland Rice Evaluation and Screening Set African Lungfish African lymphoma African lymphoma African lymphoma African lynx African lynx African lynx African lynxes African lynxes African lynxes African mahogany African mahogany African Malaria Vaccine Testing Network African Management Development Institutes Network African Management Services Company African Management Services Company African mango African marigold African marigold African marigold African marigold African Mathematical Union Commission on Mathematics Education African Mathematics Millennium Science Initiative African Media Barometer African Media Development Initiative African Medical & Research Foundation, Inc. African Medical and Research Foundation African Medical Research and Education Foundation African Medical Students Training Congress African Merchant Bank African Merchant Bank Holdings

Encyclopedia

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.

Protopterus (redirected from African Lungfish)

REFERENCE

Protopterus
(redirected from African Lungfish)