Erpetoichthys calabaricus

The reedfish, ropefish (more commonly used in the United States), or snakefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus, is a species of fish in the family Polypteridae alongside the bichirs. It is the only member of the genus Erpetoichthys. It is native to fresh and brackish waters in West and Central Africa. The reedfish possesses a pair of lungs in addition to gills, allowing it to survive in very oxygen-poor water. It is threatened by habitat loss through palm oil plantations, other agriculture, deforestation, and urban development.

==Description== The largest confirmed reedfish museum specimen was long, and three studies where more than 2,000 wild reedfish were caught (using basket traps, meaning that only individuals longer than were retained) found none that exceeded . Although sometimes claimed to reach up to long, this is incorrect. The sexes are very similar in both median and maximum length, but females average heavier than males of a similar length, and they can be reliably separated by the shape of their anal fin. Reedfish are dark above and on the sides, with lighter orangish or yellowish underparts. Males are generally more olive-green in colour, whereas females generally are more yellowish-brown. Larvae have conspicuous external gills, making them resemble salamander larvae.