-rəs noun
Etymology: New Latin, from prot- + -pterus
1. capitalized : a genus of dipnoan fishes of the rivers and swamps of central and western Africa that reach a length of six feet, that bury themselves in the mud during the dry season, that are closely related to lepidosirens but have a stouter body and five branchial clefts and differently constructed paired fins, and that are sometimes placed in a separate family but are usually placed in the same family as Lepidosiren
2. -es : any fish of the genus Protopterus