Synodontis smiti

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Synodontis smiti
Synodontis smiti.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Mochokidae
Genus: Synodontis
Species:
S. smiti
Binomial name
Synodontis smiti
Boulenger, 1902

Synodontis smiti, known as the longtail Synodontis, [2] or Smit's Synodontis, [2] 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. [3] It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1902, from specimens obtained in the Ubangi River at Banzyville. [2] The species name smiti is named for Pierre Jacques Smit, who illustrated the plates in Boulenger's works. [4]

Contents

Description

Like all members of the genus Synodontis, S. smiti has a strong, bony head capsule that extends back as far as the first spine of the dorsal fin. [5] 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. smiti, the humeral process is rough, and rounded or obtusely pointed at the end. [6]

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 without any branches, with a broad membrane at the base. [6] It extends a little shorter than the length of the head. [6] The outer pair of mandibular barbels is about ​2⁄5 to ​1⁄2 as long as the head, and the inner pair is ​1⁄3 as long as the head., both with long, slender branches with secondary branches. [6]

The front edges of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins of Syntontis species are hardened into stiff spines. [2] In S. smiti, the spine is a little shorter than the head, slightly curved, smooth in the front and serrated on the back. [6] The remaining portion of the dorsal fin is made up of seven branching rays. [6] The spine of the pectoral fin is as long as the head, and serrated on both sides. [6] The adipose fin is 4 to 5 times as long as it is deep. [6] The anal fin contains four unbranched and six to seven branched rays. [6] The tail, or caudal fin, is deeply notched. [6]

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. smiti, the toothpad forms a short, broad band. [6] 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] [5] The number of teeth on the mandible is used to differentiate between species; in S. smiti, there are about 16 or 17 teeth on the mandible. [6]

The color of the fish is brown, with indistinct darker spots and marblings. Round dark spots appear on the rayed fins, and may appear as bands. [6]

The maximum total length of the species is 22.2 centimetres (8.7 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 known from the central and upper Congo Basin. [1] The species is harvested for human consumption. [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.

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

Synodontis nigrita, known as the false upside down catfish, is a species of upside-down catfish that occurs widely in northern Africa. It was first described by French zoologist Achille Valenciennes in 1840. The type specimen is in the Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle de Paris.

<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 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 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 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 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 multimaculatus</i> Species of fish

Synodontis multimaculatus, known as the dotted synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where it is found in the Ubangi River. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1902, from a specimen collected in the Ubangi River in Mobayi-Mbongo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The species name multimaculatus is derived from the word multi, meaning many, and the Latin word maculatus, meaning spots, referring to the many spots on the fish.

<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 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".

Synodontis pardalis is a species of upside-down catfish that is endemic to Cameroon where it occurs in the Dja River drainage. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1908, from specimens collected in the Dja River in southern Cameroon. The species name pardalis is derived from the Greek word pardalis, which means "leopard", which refers to the spotted pattern on the fish.

<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 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 woosnami</i> Species of fish

Synodontis woosnami, known as the Upper Zambezi squeaker, or bubblebarb squeaker, is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe where it is found in the upper Zambezi and Okavango River basins and the Cunene River. It was first described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1911, from a specimen collected in the Okavango River in the Lake Ngami district of Botswana. The species name woosnami is derived from R. B. Woosnam, the collector of the first specimen.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Moelants, T. (2010). "Synodontis smiti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T182398A7877418. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182398A7877418.en . Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Synodontis smiti Boulenger, 1902". Planet Catfish. 19 Jul 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Synodontis smiti" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
  4. ↑ Scharpf, Christopher & Kenneth Lazara (12 Sep 2016). "Order SILURIFORMES: Families MALAPTERURIDAE, MOCHOKIDAE, SCHILBEIDAE, AUCHENOGLANIDIDAE, CLAROTEIDAE and LACANTUNIIDAE". The ETYFish Project. Retrieved 31 Oct 2016.
  5. 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.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Boulenger, George Albert (1909). Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British museum (Natural history). London: British Museum. pp. 461–462.
  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. S2CID   24587047.
  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 . Retrieved 19 October 2016.

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