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The upcoming discussion will update you about the difference between protopterus, lepidosiren and neoceratodus.
Difference # Protopterus:
1. Distribution:
Tropical Africa.
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2. Habitat:
Inhabits the river and large lakes. It aestivates when the river becomes completely dried up in summer.
3. Feeding habit:
Carnivorous and eats the worms, crustaceans, insects, frogs and many other animals. It also feeds on its own species.
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4. Features:
1.80-2.10 m in length.
5. Paired appendages:
Elongated and slender with extremely reduced radials.
6. Eyes:
Smaller and ill-developed.
7. Skull:
The skull lacks fontanelles.
8. Lower jaw:
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True splenials and dentaries are present.
9. Lungs:
Two lungs are present.
10. Hyoidean:
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It is a hemi branch.
11. External gills and suckers:
Four pairs of external gills and suckers are present in the larva. Vestiges of these external larval gills may persist in the adult.
12. Accessory respiratory organ:
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The gills and the lungs are the main respiratory structures. No accessory respiratory structure is developed.
13. Abdominal vein:
Absent
14. Conus arteriosus:
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A spiral valve and three rows of proximal valves are present.
15.Optic lobes:
Unpaired
16. Lateral line sense organs:
The sense organs are lodged in grooves.
17. Kidney:
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Extremely elongated structures and the posterior ends are fused with each other.
18. Ureter:
Two ureters, one from each kidney, remain separate.
19. Testes:
The testes are elongated narrow bodies and round in cross-section.
20. Sexual dimorphism:
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Absent.
21. Pinku’s organ:
Present.
Difference # Lepidosiren:
1. Distribution:
Tropical; South America.
2. Habitat:
Like Protopterus, Lepidosiren also aestivates during summer.
3. Feeding habit:
Mostly carnivorous and sometimes feeds on plant materials. It is not exclusively carnivorous.
4. Length:
1.80- 2.10m in length
5. Paired appendages:
Like that of protopterus.
6. Eyes:
Moderate in size and well-developed.
7. Skull:
Fontanel les are present.
8. Lower jaw:
True splenials and dentaries are present.
9. Lungs:
Two lungs are present
10. Hyoidean gill:
It is a hemi branch like that of Protopterus.
11. External gills and suckers:
Four pairs of external gills and suckers exist in the larva. These are totally absent in the adult.
12. Accessory respiratory organ:
During breeding season, vascular filaments are developed in the pelvic fins of male which serve as accessory respiratory structure besides the gills and lungs.
13. Abdominal vein:
Absent.
14. Conus arterious:
Exactly similar to that of Protopterus.
15. Optic lobes:
Unpaired.
16. Later line senses organs:
The sense organs are placed inside the canals in the skin.
17. Kidneys:
Like that of Protopterus but the posterior ends remain separate.
18. Ureter:
Like that of Protopterus.
19. Testes:
The tests are elongated narrow bodies and round in cross- section.
20. Sexual dimorphim:
Present only during breeding season when the male developed vascular filaments in the pelvic fins.
21. Pinku’s organ:
Present.
Difference # Neoceratodus:
1. Distribution:
Australia
2. Habitat:
It lives in the river which becomes shallow in summer, but never dries up completely. It lives in that toxic water by adopting aerial respiration.Aestivation is absent the lungs work in conjunction with the gills.
3. Feeding habit:
Carnivorous fish which devours molluscs, crustaceans and various worm.
4. Length:
1.50 m in length.
5. Paired appendages:
Broad and leaf-like with highly developed radials.
6. Eyes:
Like that of Lepidosiren.
7. Skull:
Fontanelles are absent.
8. Lower jaw:
The splenials and dentaries are vestigial.
9. Lungs:
Only one lung is present which is possibly due to the suppression of the original left lobe.
10. Hyoidean gill:
It is a pseudo branch which is supplied by an artery from the first efferent branch.
11. External gills and suckers:
As the opercula develop earlier than the formation of the gills, external gills are absent in the larval stage.
12. Accessory respiratory organ:
No accessory respiratory organ is present.
13. Abdominal vein:
An adominal vein is present which originates from the union of pelvic veins.
14. Conus arteriosus:
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The conus arteriosus lacks the spiral valve. Both distal and proximal rows of valves are present.
15. Optic lobes:
Slightly separated and form paired lobes.
16. Lasted line sense organs:
Similar to that of Lepidosiren.
17. Kidneys:
Similar to that of Protopterus, but the kidneys are not so elongated.
18. Ureter:
Similar to that of Protopterus, but the kidneys are not so elongated.
19. Tests:
The testes are thick and triangular in cross-section.
20. Sexual dimourphism:
Absent.
21. Pinku’s organ:
Absent.
