Hingemouth

Hingemouth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gonorhynchiformes
Family:	Phractolaemidae
Genus:	Phractolaemus Boulenger, 1901
Species:	P. ansorgii
Binomial name
Phractolaemus ansorgii Boulenger, 1901

The hingemouth (Phractolaemus ansorgii) is a small freshwater fish that is found only in west central Africa, the sole member of the family Phractolaemidae.

The mouth can extend like a small trunk, thus the name, and has just two teeth, both in the lower jaw. The swim bladder has two compartments, and can function as a lung, allowing the hingemouth to survive in oxygen-poor environments.^[1]

References

1. Banister, Keith F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. 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, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Phractolaemidae" in FishBase. May 2006 version.
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). Species of Phractolaemus in FishBase. May 2006 version.
• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Phractolaemus ansorgii" in FishBase. May 2006 version.