Protopterus

African lungfish

The African lungfish ( Protopterus ) are a genus in the subclass of the lungfish ( Dipnoi ). To this genus belong -to-date (as of 2011) four species and seven subspecies. Protopterus is the sole genus of the family Protopteridae.

Dissemination

African lungfish preferably inhabit the border areas in deep waters in rivers and lakes, or live in ponds with low oxygen content. Other habitats are small streams and swamps. The distribution area of the Ethiopian lung fish ( Protopterus aethiopicus ) is in Central Africa and East Africa. At the coastal regions in East Africa lives of East African lungfish ( Protopterus amphibius). Congo lungfish ( Protopterus dolloi ) inhabits waters in the Congo Basin and West African lungfish ( Protopterus annectens ) lives in West Africa and Central Africa, where the range extends to the Zambezi current and Limpopostrom still up in the South.

Features

The elongated body shapes are combined with soft, sunken part, shed. They have a continuous dorsal fin, caudal fin and anal fin. Unlike the Australian lungfish, which only has one lung, they have two lungs, which lie at the ventral foregut. They have internal gills, but they are much reduced form as not available for gas exchange. Mostly they breathe through their skin and remove the water as the oxygen. The lungs are only used in fast hunting when they are startled and during the dry season (summer sleep).

Locomotion

African lungfish move in shallow water or in search of food at the bottom of the water crawling with the help of their paired fins ahead. Here, the paired fins alternate. In medium water levels or the breath they meander, like an eel, forward.

Diet and hunting

African lungfish are carnivores. The diet consists of crustaceans, molluscs and insect larvae. Larger species also feed on fish and conspecifics. At their prey, they sneak up approach in the slow pace or they lurk in ambush. If the prey is close enough, it is drawn with a firm tug into the mouth. Then they chew the food through, spit it out and suck it back into the mouth back, so that the food is well crushed before being swallowed.

Drying time

Before the dry season is breaking, the African lungfish buries. As he pressed his body against the wall, he digs a vertical transition in the deeper layers of mud, mainly in swamps. The mud is taken by mouth and is excreted through the gill slits again. Is the passage large enough for the African lungfish, the fish rotates 180 degrees and is the pear-shaped mouth upwards. At regular intervals, the fish emerged from the cave to gasp for air, and crawls back into the cave. This process is continued until the water level has fallen to a level below the mouth. Then the fish remains in the cavity and separates out large amounts of mucus. When the water dries up, dries the mucus around the fish to a thin cocoon that keeps the fish from drying out. At the upper end of the cocoon, there is a small opening which keeps the fish with its tail. This opening leads through a funnel into the mouth of the fish and allows him to take oxygen. In this state he spends, depending on the duration of the dry season, several months. This survival strategy to make slime for a protective cocoon, is less common in the Ethiopian lungfish, because it is not so often affected by drought. Its caves remain predominantly covered with water.

During the trance-like sleep summer the fish fed on the muscles of the tail, where a lot of protein is attached. Through this diet, the weight of the fish can reduce by half.

Reproduction

The spawning season is in certain seasons and takes place at large amounts of precipitation. The nests are created deep, vertical or diagonal transitions in 40 centimeters. The nest of the African lung fish is U- shaped and consists of two vertical transitions. There is a chamber in which the female deposits the eggs between courses. The openings of the passages may be under water or above water.

Species

• Ethiopian lungfish ( Protopterus aethiopicus ) ( Heckel, 1851)
• East African lungfish ( Protopterus amphibius) (Peters, 1844)
• West African lungfish ( Protopterus annectens ) ( Owen, 1839)
• Congo lungfish ( Protopterus dolloi ) ( Boulenger, 1900)