The hingemouth (Phractolaemus ansorgii) is a small freshwater fish that is found only in west central Africa, the sole member of the subfamily Phractolaeminae of the family Kneriidae.
| Hingemouth | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gonorynchiformes |
| Family: | Kneriidae |
| Subfamily: | Phractolaeminae Boulenger, 1901 |
| Genus: | Phractolaemus Boulenger, 1901 |
| Species: | P. ansorgii
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| Binomial name | |
| Phractolaemus ansorgii Boulenger, 1901
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| Synonyms | |
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The mouth can extend like a small trunk, thus the name, and has just two teeth, both in the lower jaw. Its mouth can extend up to 30% of the hingemouth's head length. It has highly flexible lips, and its mouth is mainly supported by cartilage and other connective tissues.[1] The swim bladder has two compartments, and can function as a lung, allowing the hingemouth to survive in oxygen-poor environments.[2]
References
edit- ^ Evans, Allyson J.; Naylor, Emily R.; Lujan, Nathan K.; Kawano, Sandy M.; Hernandez, L. Patricia (June 2024). "Deploy the proboscis!: Functional morphology and kinematics of a novel form of extreme jaw protrusion in the hingemouth, Phractolaemus ansorgii (Gonorynchiformes)". Journal of Anatomy. 244 (6): 929–942. doi:10.1111/joa.14020. ISSN 0021-8782. PMC 11095310. PMID 38308591.
- ^ Banister, Keith F. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- "Phractolaemus ansorgii". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 11 March 2006.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Phractolaemus". FishBase. July 2021 version.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Phractolaemus ansorgii". FishBase. July 202 version.
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