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West African lungfish

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West African lungfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Sarcopterygii
Class: Dipnoi
Order: Ceratodontiformes
Family: Protopteridae
Genus: Protopterus
Species:
P. annectens
Binomial name
Protopterus annectens
(Owen, 1839)[2]
Subspecies
Synonyms[3][4]
  • Lepidosiren annectens Owen 1839
  • Protomelus annectens (Owen 1839)
  • Lepidosiren tobal de Castelnau 1855
  • Protopterus anguilliformis Owen 1841
  • Rhinocryptis annectens (Owen 1839)
  • Protopterus rhinocryptis Gray, 1850

The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens), also known as the Tana lungfish or simply African lungfish, is a species of African lungfish.[1][5] It is found in a wide range of freshwater habitats in West and Middle Africa, as well as the northern half of Southern Africa.[1][5]

Description

Protopterus annectens is an ancient fish thought to have existed for over 400 million years.[6] This longevity is due to its physiological adaptations, which allow it to survive periods of drought, making the lungfish resilient in many habitats. P. annectens is known for its eel-like appearance with an anguilliform body. It has pelvic fins that are described as “whip-like" with skeletal elements.[7] It also has a prominent snout and small eyes known to be partially blind. Although their eyesight is not well-developed, they have sensory structures called lateral lines.[8] These structures allow them to detect water movement. These sensory receptors extend along the snout of the animal, similar to those found in amphibians and other fish. [9]

Its body is about 9–15 times the length of the head. It has two pairs of long, filamentous fins. The pectoral fins have a basal fringe and are about three times the head length, while its pelvic fins are about twice the head length. In general, three external gills are inserted posterior to the gill slits and above the pectoral fins.

It has cycloid scales embedded in the skin. About 40–50 scales occur between the operculum and the anus, and 36–40 around the body before the origin of the dorsal fin. It has 34–37 pairs of ribs. The dorsal side is olive or brown in color and the ventral side is lighter, with great blackish or brownish spots on the body and fins except on its belly.[10] West African lungfish can grow up to 1 meter long (3.3 feet) and weigh up to 4 kilograms (9 pounds).[11]

The West African lungfish is often confused with the South American lungfish (Lepidosiren paradoxa), which shares similar physical traits, such as paired lungs and burrowing behavior. Despite these similarities, they differ in that the South American lungfish is slimmer and has shorter pelvic fins, whereas P. annectens has longer pelvic fins. It is believed that L. paradoxa and P. annectens diverged during the Cretaceous period, as they share a common phylogeny.[12]

Distribution

The West African lungfish is distributed throughout Africa.[13] It has two subspecies; P. a. annectens is found primarily in the basins of Sahel as well as Guinea and Sierra Leone whilst the other subspecies, P. a. brieni is known largely from the upper Congo River area and from the Zambezi of Mozambique.[13]

Evolutionary History

The West African lungfish is historically known as a unique species and an early precursor of fish to tetrapods. Due to its monophyletic clade, Dipnoi, it is the sister group to the tetrapods; this is attributed to its distinctive physiology and inferred data from fossil and taxa records.[14]

Habitat

The African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) can be found in freshwater swamps, backwaters, and small rivers in West and South Africa.[15] It has also been reported in African countries such as Senegal, Niger, Gambia, Western Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and many others.[16] Like other African lungfish, the West African lungfish is an obligate air breather and a freshwater-dwelling fish.[13] It is demersal, meaning that it lives primarily buried within riverbeds. Due to the dry season frequently drying the rivers and floodplains in which it lives, the West African lungfish can aestivate for up to a year; however the West African lungfish generally only aestivates between wet seasons.[13]

Diet

The Tana lungfish has a diet not unlike other lungfish, consisting of various mollusks, crabs, prawn, and small fish within its distribution.[13] It can also go for up to 3+1⁄2 years without any food intake whatsoever. During this time period it behaves much like an aestivating fish in that it buries itself in the mud and does not move until more favorable conditions occur.[13]

When the African lungfish estivates, it burrows itself 12-18 inches deep into mud and as the mud dries, the mucus that envelops the fish forms a cocoon. The fish then has no direct contact with the outside environment; however, a tube of dried mucus goes into the pharynx of the fish and allows the fish to breathe. The fish usually relies on protein for energy, so the nitrogenous waste of amino acids is converted to urea, which builds up in the tissues and is only excreted when the lungfish returns to the water.[17]


References

  1. ^ a b c Diouf, K.; Snoeks, J.; Lalèyè, P.; Contreras MacBeath, T. (2020). "Protopterus annectens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T169408A135027770. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T169408A135027770.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ ITIS.gov (Retrieved May 13, 2010.)
  3. ^ Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "Ceratodiformes – recent lungfishes". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  4. ^ Froese, R.; Pauly, D. (2017). "Protopteridae". FishBase version (02/2017). Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Protopterus annectens". FishBase.
  6. ^ "African lungfish | Oregon Zoo". www.oregonzoo.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  7. ^ King, Heather M.; Shubin, Neil H.; Coates, Michael I.; Hale, Melina E. (2011-12-27). "Behavioral evidence for the evolution of walking and bounding before terrestriality in sarcopterygian fishes". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (52): 21146–21151. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10821146K. doi:10.1073/pnas.1118669109. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3248479. PMID 22160688.
  8. ^ "Lungfish | Natural History, Form & Evolution | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  9. ^ Parker, W. N. (1892). "On the Anatomy and Physiology of Protopterus annectens". The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy. 30: 109–230. ISSN 0790-8113. JSTOR 30079778.
  10. ^ "West African Lungfish | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants". animals.sandiegozoo.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  11. ^ "West African Lungfish". education.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  12. ^ Brownstein, Chase Doran; Harrington, Richard C; Near, Thomas J. (2023-03-12). "The biogeography of extant lungfishes traces the breakup of Gondwana". Journal of Biogeography. 50 (7): 1191–1198. Bibcode:2023JBiog..50.1191B. doi:10.1111/jbi.14609. ISSN 0305-0270.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Protopterus annectens summary page". FishBase. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2015-06-08.
  14. ^ King, Heather M.; Shubin, Neil H.; Coates, Michael I.; Hale, Melina E. (2011-12-27). "Behavioral evidence for the evolution of walking and bounding before terrestriality in sarcopterygian fishes". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 108 (52): 21146–21151. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10821146K. doi:10.1073/pnas.1118669109. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 3248479. PMID 22160688.
  15. ^ "African lungfish | Oregon Zoo". www.oregonzoo.org. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  16. ^ IUCN (2019-10-25). Protopterus annectens: Diouf, K., Snoeks, J., Lalèyè, P. & Contreras MacBeath, T.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T169408A135027770 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2020-2.rlts.t169408a135027770.en.
  17. ^ Janssens, P. A. (1964). "The metabolism of the aestivating African lungfish". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 11 (1): 105–117. doi:10.1016/0010-406X(64)90098-2. PMID 14170679.
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