Which fish is the only living species in the genus Neoceratodus?

Which fish is the only living species in the genus Neoceratodus? The answer is the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri.

Also called the Queensland lungfish, this species is native to southeastern Queensland, especially the Mary and Burnett river systems. It belongs to the ancient lobe-finned fish lineage and is one of only six living lungfish species worldwide.

The genus once included several other species, but those are extinct. Fossils related to Neoceratodus show that this lineage has remained remarkably similar for more than 100 million years, earning the Australian lungfish a reputation as a “living fossil.”

A common mix-up is confusing it with African or South American lungfish. Those species can survive drought by burrowing and forming protective mucus cocoons; the Australian lungfish has a single lung for supplemental air breathing but cannot survive complete drying of its habitat.