Polypteridae

Mokèlé-mbèmbé Bichir

Polypterus mokelembembe

Polypterid Fish from African Waters

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• Africa
• Elongated
• Medium
• Tropical fish

Polypterus mokelembembe is a species of the fish genus Polypterus, found in the central basin of the Congo River. It was once considered a morph of the closely related Polypterus retropinnis, but was given species status in 2006 with a description that reclassified both fishes. Because of the recency of the species' description and the fact that P. mokelembembe is the paralectotype of P. retropinnis, they are often mistaken for one another in the aquarium trade.