Synodontis clarias

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Synodontis clarias
Synodontis clarias.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Mochokidae
Genus: Synodontis
Species:
S. clarias
Binomial name
Synodontis clarias
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synodontis clarias, known as the red tailed synodontis, [2] or the mandi, [3] is a species of upside-down catfish that occurs widely in the waters of northern Africa. [3] It was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Silurus clarias. The original specimens were obtained in Egypt, near Cairo. [4] The meaning of the species name clarias is not certain, but may possibly have been used to mean "bright" or "clear". [5]

Contents

Description

Like all members of the genus Synodontis, S. clarias has a strong, bony head capsule that extends back as far as the first spine of the dorsal fin. [6] The head contains a distinct narrow, bony, external protrusion called a humeral process. [2] The shape and size of the humeral process helps to identify the species. In S. clarias, the humeral process is subtriangular, flat, and rough. [4]

The fish has three pairs of barbels. The maxillary barbels are on located on the upper jaw, and two pairs of mandibular barbels are on the lower jaw. The maxillary barbel is straight with long, slender branches, with a broad membrane at the base. [4] It extends about 3⁄5 to 1 times the length of the head. [4] The outer pair of mandibular barbels is about 1+1⁄3 times as long as the inner pair, have long, slender branches with secondary branches. [4]

The front edges of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins of Syntontis species are hardened into stiff spines. [2] In S. clarias, the spine is as long or slightly longer than the head, curved, and serrated on both sides. [4] The remaining portion of the dorsal fin is made up of seven branching rays, terminating in a short filament. [4] The spine of the pectoral fin is shorter than the dorsal spine, and serrated on both sides. [4] The adipose fin is 3 to 4+1⁄2 times as long as it is deep. [4] The anal fin contains five unbranched and seven to nine branched rays, and is acutely pointed in the front. [4] The tail, or caudal fin, is deeply notched, with the upper lobe longer. [4]

All members of Syndontis have a structure called a premaxillary toothpad, which is located on the very front of the upper jaw of the mouth. This structure contains several rows of short, chisel-shaped teeth. In S. clarias, there are relatively few premaxillary teeth arranged in one, two, or three distinct series. [4] On the lower jaw, or mandible, the teeth of Syndontis are attached to flexible, stalk-like structures and described as "s-shaped" or "hooked". [2] [6] The number of teeth on the mandible is used to differentiate between species; in S. clarias, there are about 6 to 9 teeth on the mandible. [4]

The color of the fish is grey to green on the back, white on the underside. The fins are greyish white and the tail is often tipped with red. Juveniles may have small dark marbling patterns on the body and round dark spots on the ventral, anal, and caudal fins. [4]

The maximum standard length of the species is 36 centimetres (14 in). [3] Generally, females in the genus Synodontis tend to be slightly larger than males of the same age. [7]

Habitat and behavior

In the wild, the species is occurs from Senegal to Ethiopia, and along the entire length of the Nile River. [1] The species is harvested for human consumption. [1] Its habitat is threatened by dams, water depletion, and water pollution. [1] In its natural environment, it is a bottom feeder, feeding on insect larvae, plants, and detritus. [1] The reproductive habits of most of the species of Synodontis are not known, beyond some instances of obtaining egg counts from gravid females. [8] Spawning likely occurs during the flooding season between July and October, and pairs swim in unison during spawning. [9] The growth rate is rapid in the first year, then slows down as the fish age. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Synodontis membranaceus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis membranaceus, known as the moustache catfish, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to northern Africa. It was first described by French naturalist Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1809 as Pimelodus membranaceus, from specimens obtained in the Nile River. The species name membranaceus refers to membranes present on the barbels of the fish.

Fuelleborn's squeaker is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Tanzania where it is found in Lake Rukwa and the Rufiji River basin. It was first described by Franz Martin Hilgendorf and Paul Pappenheim in 1903, from a specimen collected at Lake Rukwa. The species name fuelleborni is named in honor of Prof. Dr. F. Fülleborn, who collected the original sample.

<i>Synodontis budgetti</i> Species of fish

Synodontis budgetti, known as Budgett's synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria where it occurs in Lake Nokoue and the Niger. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1911, from specimens collected in Lokoja, Nigeria. The species name budgetti comes from name of the collector of the original specimen, J.S. Budgett.

<i>Synodontis caudovittatus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis caudovittatus, known as the white-finned synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Nile basin of Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1901, from specimens collected in the White Nile, at the mouth of Lake No in South Sudan. The species name caudovittatus comes from the Latin word cauda, meaning "tail", and the Latin word vitta, meaning "stripe" and refers to the coloration of the tailfin.

<i>Synodontis courteti</i> Species of fish

Synodontis courteti is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the countries of the Niger and Chad Basins. It has been recorded in Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. It was first described by French zoologist Jacques Pellegrin in 1906, from specimens collected in the Chari River, Chad. The species name courteti is named after M. Courtet, member of the "Mission Chari-Lac Chad".

<i>Synodontis filamentosus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis filamentosus, known as the longfin synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the basins of the Nile, Volta and Niger Rivers as well as the Chad Basin. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1901, from specimens obtained near the mouth of Lake No, on the White Nile in Sudan. The species name filamentosus comes from the elongated rays of the dorsal and caudal fins.

<i>Synodontis frontosus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis frontosus, known as the Sudan squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is widely distributed throughout northern and central Africa. It has been reported in Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. It was first described by French zoologist Léon Vaillant in 1895, from specimens collected in the White Nile in Sudan. The species name frontosus is Latin, and means "broad head".

<i>Synodontis geledensis</i> Species of fish

Synodontis geledensis, known as the Geledi squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia where it can be found in the Lorian Swamp, the Shebelle and Ewaso Ng'iro rivers. It was first described by German zoologist Albert Günther in 1896, from specimens obtained near Geledi, on the Shebeli River in east Africa. The species name geledensis comes from Geledi, Somalia, the location where the first specimens were first found.

<i>Synodontis guttatus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis guttatus is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Niger River basin of Nigeria. It was first described by German ichthyologist Albert Günther in 1865, from the Niger River. The species name guttatus is the Latin word for "spotted", referring to the spots appearing on the fins and body of the fish.

<i>Synodontis longirostris</i> Species of fish

Synodontis longirostris, known as the eyespot synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it occurs in the Congo Basin. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1902, from specimens obtained in the Ubangi River at Banzyville. The species name longirostris comes from the Latin word longus, meaning "long", and the Latin word rostrum, meaning snout, referring to the long snout on this species.

Synodontis marmoratus is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Cameroon where it is found in the Sanage and Nyong Rivers. It was first described by Swedish zoologist and conservationist Einar Lönnberg in 1895, from a specimen collected from Bonge, Cameroon.

<i>Synodontis nigromaculatus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis nigromaculatus, known as the spotted squeaker, the blackspotted squeaker, or the speckled squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is found widely in southern Africa. It has been identified in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1905, from specimens collected in Lake Bangweulu in Zambia.

Synodontis obesus, known as the Coas synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the coastal drainages of Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1898. The species name obesus is derived from the Latin word obesus, meaning "fat".

<i>Synodontis omias</i> Species of fish

Synodontis omias is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Niger River basin of Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria. It was first described by German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist Albert Günther in 1864, from a specimen collected in Jebba, Nigeria, on the Niger River. There have been very few specimens of this species identified, and it may be the same species as S. budgetti from the Upper Niger.

<i>Synodontis resupinatus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis resupinatus is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Niger basin and the Bénoué River of Cameroon, Mali, and Nigeria. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1904, from specimens obtained near Lokoja, Nigeria.

<i>Synodontis serratus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis serratus, known as the shield-head squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Nile basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. It was first described by German naturalist and explorer Eduard Rüppell in 1829, from specimens obtained near Cairo, Egypt. The species name serratus comes from the Latin word serra, meaning "saw", which refers to the serrated pectoral spines of the species.

<i>Synodontis smiti</i> Species of fish

Synodontis smiti, known as the longtail Synodontis, or Smit's Synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is found in the middle and upper Congo Basin. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1902, from specimens obtained in the Ubangi River at Banzyville. The species name smiti is named for Pierre Jacques Smit, who illustrated the plates in Boulenger's works.

<i>Synodontis soloni</i> Species of fish

Synodontis soloni, known as the scissortail synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is found in the Ubangi River and the rapids just below Stanley Pool. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, from the Congo River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name soloni is a patronym and in memory of Alexandre Solon, who assisted with the collection of fish.

<i>Synodontis sorex</i> Species of fish

Synodontis sorex is a species of upside-down catfish that is widely distributed in the rivers of northern Africa. It was first described by German zoologist Albert Günther in 1864, from specimens obtained in the upper Nile River, near Khartoum, Sudan. The species name sorex comes from the Latin word for shrew or shrew-mouse, the allusion was not explained. It possibly describes the pointed snout or the long, slender teeth.

<i>Synodontis xiphias</i> Species of fish

Synodontis xiphias is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Niger River basin of Nigeria. It was first described by German ichthyologist Albert Günther in 1864, from specimens obtained in the Niger River. The species name xiphias comes from the Greek word xiphos, meaning sword, which refers to the long snout that was observed on the stuffed type specimen.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Diouf, K.; Awaïss, A.; Azeroual, A.; Getahun, A.; Lalèyè, P. (2020). "Synodontis clarias". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T181958A134961781. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T181958A134961781.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Synodontis clarias (Linnaeus, 1758)". Planet Catfish. 19 Jul 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Synodontis clarias" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Boulenger, George Albert (1909). Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British museum (Natural history). London: British Museum. pp. 469–471.
  5. ↑ Scharpf, Christopher & Kenneth Lazara (12 Sep 2016). "Order SILURIFORMES: Families MALAPTERURIDAE, MOCHOKIDAE, SCHILBEIDAE, AUCHENOGLANIDIDAE, CLAROTEIDAE and LACANTUNIIDAE". The ETYFish Project. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. 1 2 Cuvier, Georges (1934). The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization, Volume 10. Translated by Griffith, Edward. London: Whittaker and Co. p. 406.
  7. 1 2 H. M. Bishai & Y. B. Abu Gideiri (1965). "Studies on the biology of genus Synodontis at Khartoum". Hydrobiologia . 26 (1–2): 85–97. doi:10.1007/BF00142257.
  8. ↑ Wright, J.J. & L.M. Page (2006). "Taxonomic Revision of Lake Tanganyikan Synodontis (Siluriformes: Mochokidae)". Florida Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull. 46 (4): 99–154.
  9. ↑ John P. Friel & Thomas R. Vigliotta (March 2, 2009). "Mochokidae Jordan 1923: African squeaker and suckermouth catfishes". Tree of Life Web Project . Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.

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