Help! Need pics. Palmas, Retropinnis

[sandtiger]

Nothing wrong with getting information from google, getting images is not a great idea though.

Eh...not sure I agree. Unless you know what sources are the good ones (fishbase, planetcatfish etc.) then you could always come across a pretty unreliable site. I agree that image searches often suck UNLESS you use a scientific name, that typically gives you much better results and if you click the image you can always visit it's original site.

A quick google picture search for Polypterus retropinnis shows me pictures from www.polypterus.info and www.primitivefish.com Both are likely reliable sources but I would suggest checking out those links to make sure the pictures match up. However there are also pictures from sites like myarowana.blogspot.com and imageevent.com, those would be less reliable. Then there are also pictures of Polypterus delhezi. You just gotta know how to use it and seperate whats good from whats most likely crap.

 

[sandtiger]

Now this should be a very reliable source. No pictures here but it might help.

Taxonomic Keys - Polypteridae
PROVISIONAL ILLUSTRATED KEY TO THE POLYPTERUS OF LOWER CONGO AND POOL MALEBO
http://research.amnh.org/ichthyology/congo/pol_tk.html

 

[Infblue]

P. retropinnis
http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=2387

just a note, the image fishbase uses is wrong. the image shows a weeksii, NOT retropinnis.

the google image search result from www.polypterus.info is correct.

the google image search result from www.primitivefish.com is wrong, BUT primitivefish.com actually has it right. its google that got it wrong. if you go to the actual site, look for "Zaire Green (Polypterus retropinnis, formerly.....)" under the bichir section, theres the right pic.

 

[XRAYZ]

top pic is palmas polli.
bottom pic is retropinnis aka zaire green.

 

[Cohazard]

I'll try to get newer pics asap, because over the black sand, he is almost completely black on the dorsal side, with a yellow belly.

HTH

 

[sandtiger]

just a note, the image fishbase uses is wrong. the image shows a weeksii, NOT retropinnis.

the google image search result from www.polypterus.info is correct.

the google image search result from www.primitivefish.com is wrong, BUT primitivefish.com actually has it right. its google that got it wrong. if you go to the actual site, look for "Zaire Green (Polypterus retropinnis, formerly.....)" under the bichir section, theres the right pic.

Yeah, I noticed the fishbase picture was not its own. They don't have their own so they used google but the site does say it may be incorrect. I posted the fishbase sites more for the morphology then the actual pictures. IMO knowing the physical differences is more helpful then trying to compair a fish to a picture. As for the google image search result that is also why I suggest visiting the pictures original site, to varify if it is correct.

 

[Infblue]

ewurm, you said in the pinned topic that the bichir you're looking at has a light horizontal dark stripe. how big is the bichir?

 

[ewurm]

I am guessing 8"

 

[Infblue]

ok. does it have protruding upper or lower jaw? any chance you can get a pic?

 

[ewurm]

I think so, but I'll have to get a pic.