Lungfish

For the musical band, see Lungfish (band).

Lungfishes are sarcopterygian fish that can breathe air (and in some species are obligate air-breathers), and have limb-like appendages instead of fins. There are six living species known; four in Africa, and one each in South America and Australia.

They all have an elongate body, four limbs, and a single rear fin.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy of lungfishes presents some difficulty because of their resemblances to both fish and land-dwelling vertebrates, and have been classified in a variety of ways, ranging from class Dipnoi, to infraclass Dipnomorpha, to order Dipteriformes. However, there is general agreement that there are two main subcategories, here given as orders:

• Ceratodontiformes: characterized by having broad flipper-like fins and an unpaired lung.
  • Family Ceratodontidae,
    • Genus Neoceratodus
      • Neoceratodus forsteri – Queensland Lungfish
• Lepidosireniformes: characterized by having thread-like fins and paired lungs.
  • Family Lepidosirenidae
    • Genus Lepidosiren
      • Lepidosiren paradoxa – South American Lungfish
  • Family Protopteridae
    • Genus Protopterus
      • Protopterus aethiopicus – Marbled Lungfish
      • Protopterus amphibius – East African Lungfish
      • Protopterus annectens – African Lungfish
      • Protopterus dolloi – Slender Lungfish