dc:description"Figure 8. – Polypterus senegalus. Posterior view of the ten finlet spines (S1-S10) and the first lepidotrichium of the posterior part of the dorsal fin. Scale bar = 1 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 7. – Polypterus senegalus (male, 260 mm TL). A-I: Nine successive transversal sections (from the base to the tip) of a finlet spine: section F crosses the glenoid cavity and is associated to a lateral scale; section B crosses the foramen; the seven other sections (C-I) are regularly dispatched along the shaft, the two last ones crossing four branches of the lepidotrichium: the primary branch at the bottom of the median groove and three secondary branches. The asterisks point to the medullar canal. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 3. – A: Polypterus ansorgei; the anterior face of the spine shows the basal articular head (asterisk), and the ganoine patches on the shaft, and the two distal tips (arrows). B-E: P. senegalus; anterior view of the articular head of the 1st (B), 5th (C), 8th (D) and 10th (E) finlet spines; the ganoine layer is lacking where the web membrane fits on the spine. Scale bar = 1 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 4. – A-B: Polypterus bichir katangae; A: The anterior face of the spine is covered by an irregular ganoine layer, and shows the basal articular head (AH) and the shaft (SH); B: The posterior face of the spine shows, the median groove and the basal foramen on the shaft; the two arrow-heads indicate the two lateral pads. C-F: P. senegalus; detail of the anterior (C), the posterior (D), the left lateral (E), and the basal face (F) of the articular head, respectively, to show the various significant processes; the arrowhead points to the median groove (F). Scale bars:A, B = 1 mm; C-F = 0.5 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 2. – A-B: Polypterus senegalus and Erpetoichthys calabaricus, respectively; body scales in the dorsal region of the two first finlets. C: P. senegalus; outer face of the first left scale just behind the articulation of the spine. D: P. endlicheri; inner face of the last right predorsal scale just before the articulation of the spine. E: E. calabaricus; the articulation of the finlet spine with its pterygi- ophore. The arrows indicate the head direction of the fish. sp1, sp2: first and second spine articulation. Scale bars:A, B, C, D = 1 mm; E = 0.5 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 9. – Polypterus senegalus. Basal view of the articular head of the ten finlet spines (S1-S10) of the anterior dorsal fin. Scale bar = 1 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 10. – Polypterus senegalus. Lateral view of the ten finlet spines (sp1-sp10) and the first lepidotrichium (lep) of the posterior part of the dorsal fin. The anterior and posterior sides are respec- tively on the left and on the right. Scale bar = 1 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 11. – Polypterus senegalus. A: The posterior face of 6th finlet spine from a female on the left and a male on the right, and showing the basal foramen on the articular head, the median groove and a lepidotrichium on the shaft. The symmetrical distal points of the spines correspond to apical odontodes. B-C: The anterior (on the left) and right (on the right) lateral views of the articular head of the spine respectively of a female and a male. Scale bars = 1 mm.";
dc:description"Figure 6. – Polypterus senegalus (male, 260 mm TL). A: Posterior side of the shaft showing, in the median groove, three branches of the lepidotrichium: the primary branch and two secondary branches going out of the median grove. B-C: Respectively lateral and sagittal axial sections of a finlet spine showing the vascular network (B: in black) and the insertion (in C) of the branches of the lepidotrichium (modified from Meunier, 1980). Scale bars = 1 mm.";
