Papyrocranus afer (Günther, 1868)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The reticulated knifefish (Papyrocranus afer) is a species of freshwater fish in the family Notopteridae, the featherbacks, found in tropical West Africa. It reaches a maximum length of 80 cm (31 in) and a reported weight of 1.3 kg (2.9 lb).
Wikipedia contributors, Papyrocranus afer; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:30:11.270894+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Papyrocranus afer (Günther, 1868)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1868)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Osteoglossiformes
- Family
- Notopteridae
- Genus
- Papyrocranus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderOsteoglossiformes
- familyNotopteridae Bleeker, 1851
- subfamilyXenomystinae Greenwood, 1963
- genusPapyrocranus Greenwood, 1963
- speciesPapyrocranus afer (Günther, 1868)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Papyrocranus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Papyrocranus congoensis (Nichols & La Monte, 1932) | NotopteridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Notopterus afer Günther, 1868 Günther, 1868 | synonym |
| Papyrochranus afer (Günther, 1868) (Günther, 1868) | synonym |
| Paryrocranus afer (Günther, 1868) (Günther, 1868) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=581711 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4CLWQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.