Identification

An archaic fish with an elongated body, grey to olive, covered in large, hard rhomboid scales (ganoid armour). Unique signature: a series of dorsal finlets (small spiny flags) lined up along the back instead of a continuous dorsal fin. Fleshy pectorals with a muscular base; it breathes air with lungs.

Features that never mislead

Row of dorsal finlets (small flags) instead of a single dorsal fin.

Large, hard, shiny (ganoid) scales, an almost armoured body.

Fleshy, lobed pectorals used for support.

Breathes air (lungs); survives out of water for a while.

Size and weight

Usually 20 to 35 cm; published maximum around 40 cm.

Behaviour and ecology

A slow, creeping nocturnal predator of weed beds and mud: worms, insects, crustaceans, small fish, which it locates by smell. Tolerates very oxygen-poor water thanks to its lungs. A living fossil close to the very first bony fishes.

Reproduction and season

Oviparous; spawns in the rainy season in flooded vegetation, where the fry have external gills (like tadpoles) before reabsorbing them.

Fishing practice

Techniques, from most to least effective

Bottom line with a worm or small piece of fish, near weed beds, at night. The top technique.

Trap in the vegetation.

Small-mesh net in subsistence fishing.

A snake-like, vigorous catch that twists itself in the line. Hard, slippery body; it nibbles before swallowing, so let the fish take the bait fully. No venomous spines to handle, but rough scales.

Eating quality

Decent white flesh, eaten locally, often smoked; more a supplementary fish than a market fish, also prized by aquarium keepers for export.

Sources: FishBase (Polypterus senegalus, Cuvier 1829); IUCN Red List (Least Concern); Lévêque & Paugy. Local names to be documented.