Polypteridae

Ornate bichir

Polypterus ornatipinnis

Sixty Centimeters Polypterid Fish of the Congo Basin

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

Polypterus ornatipinnis, the ornate bichir, is a bony fish of the family Polypteridae found in Lake Tanganyika and the Congo River basin in Central and East Africa. It is known from the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania.