Synodontis grandiops

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Synodontis grandiops
Synodontis-grandiops-MW-003b.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. grandiops
Binomial name
Synodontis grandiops
Wright & Page, 2006

Synodontis grandiops is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Tanzania, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. [1] [2] It was first described by Jeremy John Wright and Lawrence M. Page in 2006, from specimens collected at multiple points along the shore of Lake Tanganyika. [1] The species name is a Latinized combination of the Latin "grandi", meaning large or big, and the Greek "ops", meaning eye, a reference to the relatively large eyes of this fish. [2]

Contents

Description

Like all members of the genus Synodontis, S. grandiops has a strong, bony head capsule that extends back as far as the first spine of the dorsal fin. [3] The head is about 3⁄10 of the standard length of the fish. [1] The head contains a distinct narrow, bony external protrusion called a humeral process. [4] The shape and size of the humeral process help to identify the species. In S. grandiops, the humeral process is narrow, long, and rough in appearance, and contains a distinct ridge on the bottom surface. [1] The top edge is convex and it ends in a sharp point. [1] It is almost 6⁄10 of the length of the head. [1] The eyes are large, about 3⁄10 of the length of the head. [1]

The fish has three pairs of barbels. The maxillary barbels are located on the upper jaw, and two pairs of mandibular barbels are on the lower jaw. The maxillary barbel does not have a membrane near the base and is straight without any branches. [1] It extends at least as far as the base of the pectoral fin, most of the length of the head. [1] The outer pair of mandibular barbels extends just short of the pectoral girdle, about 1⁄2 of the length of the head, [1] and contains four to five branches without secondary branches. [1] The inner pair of mandibular barbels is about 1⁄2 to 2⁄3 as long as the outer pair, about 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 of the length of the head, [1] with four to five pairs of branches without secondary branches. [1]

The skin of S. grandiops has a large number of tiny vertical skin folds. The exact purpose of the skin folds is not known, but is a characteristic of the species of Syndontis that are endemic to Lake Tanganyika. [1] External granular papilla are not present. [1]

The front edges of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins of Syntontis species are hardened into stiff spines. [4] In S. grandiops, the spine of the dorsal fin is long, about 7⁄10 as long as the head, [1] is almost completely straight, contains up to three small serrations on the front and many small serrations on the back, and ends with short, white filaments. [1] The remaining portion of the dorsal fin is made up of seven branching rays. [1] The spine of the pectoral fin is slightly curved, roughly as long as the dorsal fin spine, with large serrations on both sides. [1] The pectoral spine ends in short, white filaments. [1] The other pectoral fins are made up of eight branching rays. [1] The adipose fin is short, does not contain any rays, and has a convex shape. [1] The pelvic fin contains one unbranched and six branched rays. [1] The pelvic fin is vertically aligned in front of the adipose fin. [1] The anal fin contains three to four unbranched and six to eight branched rays; it is vertically aligned with the adipose fin. [1] The tail, or caudal fin, is forked, with pointed lobes, and contains seven rays on the upper lobe, eight rays on the lower lobe. [1]

The mouth of the fish faces downward and has wide lips that contain papilla. [1] 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 some species, this toothpad is made up of a large patch with several rows in a large cluster. In other species of Syndontis, this toothpad is clearly divided into two separate groups, separated by a thin band of skin that divides the toothpad. [1] This character is used as a method of differentiating between to different but similar species of Syndontis. [1] In S. grandiops, the toothpad is uninterrupted, or continuous without a break. [1] On the lower jaw, or mandible, the teeth of Syndontis are attached to flexible, stalk-like structures and described as "s-shaped" or "hooked". [4] [3] The number of teeth on the mandible is used to differentiate between species; in S. grandiops, there are 17-26 teeth on the mandible, arranged in a single row. [1]

Some of the species of Synodontis have an opening or series of openings called the axillary pore. It is located on the side of the body below the humeral process and before the pectoral fin spine. The exact function of the port is not known to scientists, although its presence has been observed in seven other catfish genera. Fish in the genus Acrochordonichthys have been observed to secrete a mucus with toxic properties from their axillary pore, but there is no scientific consensus as to the exact purpose of the secretion or the pore. [1] S. grandiops has a large, dark-colored axillary pore just below the humeral process. [1]

S. grandiops shares the characteristic of most of the Synodontis species of Lake Tanganyika by having a recognizable pattern consisting of dark triangles at the bases of all of the rayed fins, except the anal and pelvic fins which are white, and dark spots on the body that may or may not extend to the belly. [1] The body ranges from light brown to beige, becoming darker on the head and back. [4] The barbels are white, the dorsal and pectoral fin spines are brown to black. [1]

The maximum standard length of known specimens is 11 centimetres (4.3 in) and a total length of 15 centimetres (5.9 in). [1] [2] In general in Synodontis species, females tend to be slightly larger than males of the same age. [5]

Habitat and behavior

In the wild, the species is endemic to Lake Tanganyika, which has a temperature range of 23 to 26 °C (73 to 79 °F), and an approximate pH of 8.5 – 9, and a dH range of 4-15. [6] Synodontis species in the lake tend to inhabit mainly the rocky shoreline areas, as well as sandy and shell-covered bottom areas. [1] The reproductive habits of most of the species of Synodontis are not known, beyond some instances of obtaining egg counts from gravid females. [1] Spawning likely occurs during the flooding season between July and October, and pairs swim in unison during spawning. [7] As a whole, species of Synodontis are omnivores, consuming insect larvae, algae, gastropods, bivalves, sponges, crustaceans, and the eggs of other fishes. [1] The growth rate is rapid in the first year, then slows down as the fish age. [5] They practice brood parasitism.They lives among rock piles frequented by various species of mauna: small African cichlids. Courtship behaviour culminates with the female sucking sperm from the male's cloaca. She brings the sperm through her digestive tract to her cloaca, where her eggs meet the sperm.They then rushes into the nest of a cichlid,devours the eggs of cichlids,and deposits their own.The cichlids then raise the catfish as their own.

Related Research Articles

Synodontis dhonti is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1917, based upon a single specimen collected from Lake Tanganyika at Kilewa Bay, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species is named after M.G. Dhont-De Bie, who accompanied the collector, Dr. L. Stappers, on his expedition. At one point, identified specimens Synodontis irsacae was believed to be juvenile individuals of S. dhonti and the two were considered to be the same species, but further research has identified differences between the two species and they are once again recognized as distinct from each other.

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

Synodontis granulosus is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Zambia, and Tanzania, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1900, from specimens collected at multiple points along the shore of Lake Tanganyika. The species name comes from the Latin word "granulum", meaning of grain, and refers to the granular papillae present on the skin of the fish's body.

Synodontis polli, known as Poll's synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Zambia, and Tanzania, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Jean-Pierre Gosse in 1982, from specimens collected at multiple points along the shore of Lake Tanganyika.

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

Synodontis petricola, known as the cuckoo catfish, or the pygmy leopard catfish, is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Burundi, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959. The species name "petricola" is derived from a combination of the Latin petra, meaning stone or rock, and the Latin cola, meaning inhabitant. This refers to the rocky environment where this species is found.

<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 caudalis</i> Species of fish

Synodontis caudalis, known as the filament tailed synodontis, or the whiptail synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1899, from specimens collected in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name caudalis comes from the Latin word cauda, meaning tail, and refers to the elongated filaments in the caudal fin of the species.

<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.

Synodontis ilebrevis is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Zambia, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Jeremy John Wright and Lawrence M. Page in 2006, from specimens collected from Lake Tanganyika at Cape Chaitika, Zambia. The species name comes from the Latin word "ile", meaning intestine, and the Latin word "bevis", meaning short, and refers to the relatively short gut of this species.

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

Synodontis melanopterus is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Benin, Niger and Nigeria where it is found at Porto Novo and in the Ouémé, Niger and Ogun River basins. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1903, from specimens collected at Oguta, Nigeria, in the Niger River delta.

<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 obesus</i> Species of fish

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 ocellifer</i> Species of fish

Synodontis ocellifer, known as the ocellated synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to the rivers of northern and western Africa. It has been reported in 10 countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. It was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1900, from specimens collected in Kunchow Creek, in Gambia. The species name ocellifer comes from the Latin word ocellus, meaning "eye", and the Latin word ifer, meaning "to carry", which refers to the black spots, possibly with white centers found on the 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 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 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.

Synodontis tanganyicae is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Tanzania, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Russian-American ichthyologist Nikolai Andreyevich Borodin in 1936, from specimens collected at Kasaga, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name tanganyicae comes from the habitat of the species, Lake Tanganyika.

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

Synodontis zambezensis, known as the brown squeaker, the korokoro, or the plain squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the middle and lower Zambezi River system of Eswatini, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was first described by German naturalist and explorer Wilhelm Peters in 1852, from specimens collected in the Zambezi River in Mozambique. The species name zambezensis is derived from the Zambezi River, where this species is found.

Synodontis lucipinnis is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Zambia, where it is only known from the Musende Rocks area (Mpulungu) of Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Jeremy John Wright and Lawrence M. Page in 2006. The species name "lucipinnis" is derived from a combination of the Latin luci, meaning bright or clear, and the Latin pinnis, meaning fin. This refers to the light coloration in a patch on the base of the fins of this species.

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

Synodontis melanostictus is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Lake Tanganyika and its tributaries. It has been found in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1906, based upon a specimen from the Lofubu River. The species name "melanostictus" is derived from a combination of the Greek melano, meaning black, and the Greek stiktos, meaning punctured or spotted. This refers to the black spotted pattern that occurs on the body of this species.

Synodontis irsacae is a species of upside-down catfish endemic to Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, where it is only known from Lake Tanganyika. It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959, from specimens collected from Lake Tanganyika at Kalundu, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name " irsacae" is derived from the abbreviation "I.R.S.A.C.", or Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale. For many years, specimens of the species were considered to be juvenile members of S. dhonti, but in 2006, J.J. Wright and L.M. Page identified unique characteristics of this species that established that they were a unique species.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Wright, J.J. and L.M. Page (2006). "Taxonomic Revision of Lake Tanganyikan Synodontis (Siluriformes: Mochokidae)". Florida Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull. 46 (4): 99–154. doi:10.58782/flmnh.bnkq3478.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Synodontis grandiops" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
  3. 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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Synodontis grandiops Wright, J.J. and L.M. Page., 2006". Planet Catfish. 18 Nov 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. 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.
  6. ↑ Smith, F. (2001). "A preliminary investigation of some chemical and physical profiles of Lake Tanganyika" (PDF). Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  7. ↑ John P. Friel & Thomas R. Vigliotta (March 2, 2009). "Mochokidae Jordan 1923: African squeaker and suckermouth catfishes". Tree of Life Web Project . Retrieved 19 October 2016.

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