A scientist working at the Natural History Museum in London has described a new species of Polypterus.
The new fish, which has been named Polypterus teugelsi by Dr Ralf Britz in the latest edition of the journal Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, was found in the Upper Cross River system in Cameroon.
It's morphology and colouration separates it from other members of the Polypterus genus, as it has an orange ventral surface, black pectoral fins and a network of dark markings on the pelvic fins and the body.
Britz thinks that the fish had been seen before by other scientists but had gone more or less unnoticed, and may have been confused with a form of retropinnis from the Cross River.
For more details see: Britz, R. (2004) - Polypterus teugelsi, a new species of bichir from the Upper Cross River system in Cameroon (Actinopterygii: Cladistia: Polypteridae). Icthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. June, 2004, p. 179.