Hello,
i've seen this "species" in the book from Frank Schaefer (Polypterus/Flösselhechte/Bichirs ... Aqualog). en gave them the name "Polypterus sp. aff. endlicherii".
A bit about the content of the book:
Polypterus sp. aff. endlicherii is only known from Guinea, upper Niger, near Faranah City and Kobikoro Village.
This species (if it is one) isn't studied up to this time. In the aquarium trade they were named often as "Golden endlicheri" due to their yellow-brown base coloration (but as usual under the species which maybe nearer related to Polypterus sp. aff. endlicherii there are many variations of colouring!).
The markings of this undescribed species resembles P. endlicherii, but it's body form is like that of P. bichir - or in another case P. lapradei.
Because both P. bichir and P. endlicherii occur in the Niger in Guinea, the suspicion arises that this form my be a hybrid.
Short advice: P. lapradei also occurs in the Niger in Guinea, but it seems that P. bichir and P. lapradei are almost nerer related to another. Is this the reason why nobody really knows P. bichir? But this is another chapter worth to open a new thread ...
The hypothesis that P. sp. aff. endlicherii is a natural hybrid cannot be confirmed or rejected until such time as further studies of this fish have been undertaken!
I think genetic studies will create a clearer image of this beautiful bichir ... but it is very hard to work these days in Central Africa for scientists due to the political crisis in nearly every state. European scientists do not get any money to realize concrete work there (also epidemologists - Central Africa is the point where the most dangerous infections ... Ebola, Marburg, Lassa and so on ... do have their birth place!!!).
I hope the future will bring peace to the region - first for the humans that lives under really unhuman conditions, and second to exame much more the last "white spots" of our earth. One time we will know if this species is a hybrid and if Polypterus bichir is a variation of Polypterus lapradei (as Polypterus sp. koliba).
Genetic knowledge will rule ...
Excuse my poor English ...
Greetings
Uwe
