An African genus of ganoid fishes including the bichir.

Polypterus Lacepède, 1803, is a genus of freshwater fish in the bichir family (family Polypteridae) of order Polypteriformes. The type species is the Nile bichir (P. bichir). Fishes in this genus live in various areas in Africa (as the species' common names would indicate).