Synodontis congicus

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Synodontis congicus
Synodontis congicus Poll, 1971 2992861402.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Mochokidae
Genus: Synodontis
Species:
S. congicus
Binomial name
Synodontis congicus
Poll, 1971

Synodontis congicus is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo where it occurs in the upper and middle Congo Basin. [1] It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll in 1971. The first specimen was found near the town of Gangala-na-Bodio, Democratic Republic of the Congo, in the Dungu River. [1] [2] The meaning of the specific name "congicus" is "From the Congo". [3]

Contents

Description

The fish is light grey to silver in color, with one to four spots along the midlateral line of the body. [3]

Like other members of the genus, this fish has a humeral process, which is a bony spike that is attached to a hardened head cap on the fish and can be seen extending beyond the gill opening. [2] The first ray of the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated. [2] The caudal fin is deeply forked with an extension on the top lobe. [2] [3] It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw. [2] In the lower jaw, the teeth are s-shaped and movable. [2] The fish has one pair of short maxillary barbels, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched. [2] [3]

This species grows to a length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) SL although specimens up to 20.2 centimetres (8.0 in) TL have been recorded in nature. [1] [2]

In the wild, the species inhabits tropical waters with a temperature range of 22 to 25 °C (72 to 77 °F), a pH of 6.2 – 7.2, and dH range of 5-15. [1] It is found in the Kinsuka rapids in the Lower Congo basin, upstream to the upper Congo basin, excluding the Luapula River and Lake Mweru. [4]

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Synodontis acanthomias is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It was originally discovered by George Albert Boulenger in 1899 in Boma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The original specimen resides in the Natural History Museum in London. The species Synodontis pfefferi, described by Franz Steindachner in 1912 was found to be the same species. The specific name "acanthomias" means "very spiny", a reference to spines found on the side of the fish's body.

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

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Synodontis aterrimus, known as the network 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 Congo Basin. It was first described by Max Poll and Tyson R. Roberts in 1968. The original specimens were obtained in Bokuma, on the Congo River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name aterrimus means "very black", referring to the dark coloration on the underside of the body.

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

Synodontis batesii is a species of upside-down catfish native to rivers of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It was first collected by G. L. Bates and described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1907, based upon holotypes discovered in the Dja River, near Bitye in Cameroon. The specific name "batesii" refers to the name of the collector of the first specimen.

Synodontis camelopardalis, known as the giraffe synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is only known to occur in the Tshuapa River. It was first described by Max Poll in 1971. The original specimens were obtained in Eala, on the Ruki River in the central Congo River Basin. The species name camelopardalis refers to the giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, in reference to the coloration of the fish.

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

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

Synodontis depauwi is a species of upside-down catfish that is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it can be found in Stanley Pool. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, from specimens collected in Stanley Pool, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name depauwi is in honour of the "conservateur des collections de l'Université libre de Bruxelles", Louis De Pauw.

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

Synodontis flavitaeniatus, known as the orangestriped squeaker, the chocolatestriped squeaker, the yellowstriped squeaker, and the pyjama Syno, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo where it is found in the lower and central Congo Basin. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1919. The holotype was collected from the Ruki River at Eala, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The meaning of the specific name "flavitaeniatus" is "yellow stripes".

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

Synodontis greshoffi is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It was first collected by M.A. Greshoff in Pool Malebo on the upper Congo River, and the species was named for him by the author of the first paper written about the species, Belgian ichthyologist Louise Schilthuis, in 1891.

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

Synodontis katangae is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia where it is found in the Congo Basin. It was first described by Max Poll in 1971. The original specimens were obtained in Lukonzolwa, on Lake Mweru, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name katangae is a reference to the Katanga province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the species was first found.

<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.

<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.

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

Synodontis notatus, known as the onespot squeaker, the one-spot synodontis, or the domino syno, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. It was first described by French zoologist Léon Vaillant in 1893. The specific name "notatus" comes from the Latin word for "marked", as with a spot.

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

Synodontis nummifer, known as the two spot synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It was first described by the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, based upon a holotype discovered in Léopoldville, Belgian Congo. The specific name "nummifer" comes from the Latin for "to bear a coin", which refers to the large spots on its sides.

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

Synodontis ornatipinnis, known as the barfin synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, from specimens collected in Mbandaka, on the Congo River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name ornatipinnis means "ornate fins".

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

Synodontis pleurops, known as the Congo squeaker, the bigeye squeaker, or the bug eyed synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the upper Congo Basin of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It was first described by the Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, based upon a holotype discovered at the Boyoma Falls, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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

Synodontis schoutedeni, known as the yellow marbled Synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Congo Basin of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Lore Rose David in 1936, based upon a holotype discovered in Basongo, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The specific name "schoutedeni" is named after the Belgian zoologist Henri Schouteden.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Synodontis congicus" in FishBase . June 2016 version.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Synodontis congicus Poll, 1971". Planet Catfish. 23 Jun 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Synodontis congicus Poll, 1971". scotcat.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  4. Moelants, T. (2010). "Synodontis congicus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010. IUCN: e.T181909A7762436. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T181909A7762436.en . Retrieved 15 January 2018.

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