Polypterus endlicherii

Polypterus endlicheri, the saddled bichir, is one of the fourteen extant species in the Polypteridae family. Polypterus comes from the Greek words poly and pteron, roughly translating to "many finned", while endlicheri is derived from the Austrian botanist Stephen Endlicher, who first identified the fish from a collection at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. The common name, saddled bichir, comes from the saddle-like patterns that line the dorsal side of the fish. P. endlicheri has also earned nicknames such as "dragonfin" or the "dinosaur bichir" because of its prehistoric appearance. Polypterus endlicheri belongs to the order Polypteriformes and the family Polypteridae. The family was once heavily represented from the Devonian to the Cretaceous but now consists of two genera, Polypterus and Erpetoichthys. Historically, scientists have had trouble assigning Polypteridae to a specific taxonomic group. Shared traits such as gilled larvae, ganoid scales, and a modified heterocercal tail suggest a close relationship to multiple extant ancestral groups such as Chondrostei and Holostei. However, unique features such as their specialized dorsal, caudal, and paired fins separate them from these groups. Via genetic sequencing, as well as study of the jaw structure and early development, scientists have placed bichirs as some of the first ray-finned fishes to diverge from modern teleosts.