African cats from Germany

[jippo]

I did a trip to Germany last week and just to get some nice synos from there which I got and I got something else too. Here is something I found from there:

1. Here is Synodontis pardalis from Congo import, I bought 8 of these but unfortunately 3 of them died on a way back.


2. This one I found from same tank with pardalis, not sure yet what it is but it propably came from same area with pardalis. Any idea???


3. Then I got some new Hemisynos


4. And from one tank I found single Brachysynodontis


5. Synodontis clarias


6. Two Synodontis frontosa.


7. This one i'm not sure, I couldn't solve the origin of this one. It could be Synodontis schall but something is wrong with schall to my eye. Any suggestion?



8. Two REAL Synodontis njassae and this one is huge


9. Then I got some Chiloglanis/Euchilichthys sp. There were imports from Congo and Cameroon, I don't have picture from other species yet but this is the other one. These pics are from same fish.




10. This one I didn't bought but it has come from rivers beside Lake Tanganyika, possible Synodontis nigromaculata???

[andywoolloo]

now that's a whole syno party!! ((clapping)) wonderful pictures!! thanks for sharing!

[Birger]

Nice!!!

That pardalis is very nice!!! It is really too bad you lost some.

I can not spend much time with my books right now so these are rough at best.

#2 Synodontis leopardinus... but they come from a different area than pardalis, a clear picture of the humeral would help me with this one, in leapardinus should be quite broad..

#6 What tells you this is frontosa...I actually want to say adult

Synodontis punctifer

frontosa should be more brown I would think, punctifer has the dark spot above the humeral and at the base of the dorsal and a yellowish brown base color.

#7 I want to say adult

Synodontis bastiani

but not really sure...can you supply a better shot of the caudal? And I realize you already have some, how do they compare?

#10

Synodontis nigromaculata

Birger

ps.On a side note, have you identified the spiny eel in series #9, looks like I may have the same species.

[Richard B]

True pardalis - superb!!! (would you submit that pic to Jools for cat-e-log?) - this is a sp i have never encountered (well not genuine ones)

pic 7 budgetti.

A pic of the mouth wouls help ID the euchilichthys/chiloglanis - it looks very skinny & they cac be territorial & hard to establish.

nice lil contracta in pic 4

I'm interested in the nigromaculata pic 10 - i see granulosa in the background (bottom right) some tang syno tail (top right) & something looking like an attactive hybrid (left) - does the shop have a number of hybrids too?

[fischkringli]

I did a trip to Germany last week and just to get some nice synos from there which I got and I got something else too.

At which shops have you been?

[Jools]

(would you submit that pic to Jools for cat-e-log?)

Yes, I would certainly use them if sent to me.

Jools

[jippo]

Here is some better pics from that unidentified syno. It has change its colour pretty much more brownish, I think they had little bit of stress coloration in that tank, it was a wholesaler tank with only one plastic pipe and there was pretty many synos at that tank.





Here is my Synodontis eburneensis, I know that officially it's a synonym with bastiani but I have heard also that it can me mistake and they both are valid species. Maybe Silurus has some comment abut this issue?



Here is some photos of one Chiloglanis/Euchilichthys that I bought. It's another fish that I posted earlier. This one I think that is Euchilichthys sp.



I will try to get some more photos from no.7. For my opinion this one is frontosa but I could be wrong too. I have check this one again. I have just focus on those unidentified cats whole last week, that just looked frontosa to my eye.

I visited at Glaser, Dietzenbach and OF-Aquaristik and all these fishes are from those places. Although some fishes came from Ingo Seidel from Aqua-Global. All these places got some hybrids at their tank but at Dietzenbach and OF they knew origin of their synos pretty well and they are very well aware of the hybrid problem.

[Silurus]

The yellowish syno looks like a young S. leopardina to me.

[Birger]

Yes...I should have written S.leapardina and I am sticking with this as well.
Pictures of this should go in the Cate-Log as well if you agree with the identification, we do not even have a species page for this yet.Interesting looking fish, I like the colouration.

I just can't stop looking at the pardalis...very striking.

Birger

[Martin S]

I just can't stop looking at the pardalis...very striking.
Birger

I have to say, even though am not a big syno fan I have to agree - the pardalis has the most unique markings, and now its settled in it is so much more striking than the initial picture.
Martin

[andywoolloo]

I also keep coming to look at the pardalis. Very beautiful!!

they all are! awesome synos!!

[syno-kev]

wow pardalis is stunning i want one !.

great pics

[Richard B]

pardalis is true stunner - can i ask how much they were?

maybe we'll see them over here soon?

[Richard B]

Given the mouth shape i'd say Euchilichthys not chiloglanis

[syno-kev]

just looked on tropical fish finder and theres about 4 shops down south that claim to have syno-pardalis in stock .

[Jools]

just looked on tropical fish finder and theres about 4 shops down south that claim to have syno-pardalis in stock .

Anytime I've seen fish for sale under this name in the UK, it's turned out to be a hybrid - usually a pretty one mind you.

Jools

[jimoo]

What is the shovelnose like cat in photos names Jippo 7 and 8? Beneath the synos in 8... anyone know?

[Dave Rinaldo]

This one?

Chrysichthys ornatus

[jimoo]

Yes, thank you.

[Richard B]

just looked on tropical fish finder and theres about 4 shops down south that claim to have syno-pardalis in stock .

Anytime I've seen fish for sale under this name in the UK, it's turned out to be a hybrid - usually a pretty one mind you.

Jools

I totally agree - i've seen fish labelled pardalis many times but not a sniff of the real thing

[jippo]

Thanks guys.

I did saw some hybrid pardalis as well at Germany and they looked like... hybrids. But these ones were totally different and this wholesaler is very much against hybrids although he had some at his tanks. There was about 25 pardalis at that place but they were not for sale and not in any stocklists . First he promised me only 4-5 pardalis but then I was pegging him to sell me 8 of them. Same thing was with camelopardalis, I got only two of them and he had about 10 of them.

Very interesting that you are saying that the yellow syno is leopardina. It looks more brownish right now when it has settled down.



Here is some more photos of frontosa/punctifer. It really fits to description of punctifer.

[Birger]

Very interesting that you are saying that the yellow syno is leopardina. It looks more brownish right now when it has settled down.

For me it is not about the color...which still should be alright.

One thing that sticks out to me is the distinctive shape of the head "head and predorsal with straight profile,sloped about 30°"That is from Skelton, and from Seegers " with a pointed head, whose upper profile runs very straight"

Another thing leopardina apparently has is a distinctive mouth(tooth placement), again mentioned by Skelton, and seems to be so looking at the drawing in Poll's revision. Of course I am not sure if your fish has this but would be worth a look.

I am sure you know this jippo, but for others following this, leopardina is not to be confused with leoparda two different species.

Birger

[jippo]

I still don't believe in leopardina, it should have much longer dorsal fin. As you see its dorsal fin is very short, at Poll's drawing it should lay on top of adipose fin but with this syno it's not even close to adipose. And all barbels looks too long for description of leopardina. I will keep searching for this one.

But what do you say about punctifer, I have been checking that one now and it seems to fit quite well. And also origin of punctifer will fit cause this wholesaler gets fishes from that area.

[Birger]

But what do you say about punctifer, I have been checking that one now and it seems to fit quite well. And also origin of punctifer will fit cause this wholesaler gets fishes from that area.

I have been thinking punctifer for those from the start, I think it fits very well.

What did you come up with for the original picture # 7, the "schall" some of these types are all so close it is hard to tell.

The other I would not know what else to suggest (nebulosa ?, wrong area)...it still for sure should go in the Cat-eLog as Synodontis sp.7 with both "regular" and "stress" coloration(unless of course you work out what it is), maybe it will ring a bell with someone one day...out of personal interest, was this fish brown or the yellow color when you first saw it in the shop it was purchased at? It would be interesting to see it again in a year or so, maybe some growth would help.

Birger

[Richard B]

pic 7 budgetti.

Any opinions?

[jippo]

pic 7 budgetti.

Any opinions?

I haven't seen that dark spot above humeral in any description from budgetti. I don't know which species it is, as you can see it has a quite funny looking head, not a typical syno head. And now it has settled down and that's the color it is wearing now, it was a little bit more brownish at the wholesaler tank. First picture at page one shows the color from there. I still think that the closest one is schall.




I still have to go back to the yellow syno issue, I have been checking now all my books to find a correct species for that one with no success . Only in Kobayagawas The World of Catfishes at page 12 there is photo of leopardina which doesn't have so long dorsal fin. But it seems that the fish at that photo is still juvenile. And I really think that I have three more of that same species . I bought them as rebeli which they are not but the wholesaler has got them from Cameroon and that was the closest looking syno he could find. They are still pretty small, about 6-8cm but they look very much same with the bigger one. So I think the yellow one is from Cameroon too. I will post some photos when I get them.

And then I still have one totally black syno from tanganyika, I found it from one tank in one wholesaler and I had to buy it even I don't have tank for it. I gave it to my friend here who has tanganyika tank for it. That cat is a total mystery for me, it has very short and thick barbels and quite strong head. And a big mouth. I will go and get some photos at next week if someone knows what it is. It has been bitten by one Tetraodon sp. and it has some markings on his head from that.

[Birger]

I still have to go back to the yellow syno issue, I have been checking now all my books to find a correct species for that one with no success . Only in Kobayagawas The World of Catfishes at page 12 there is photo of leopardina which doesn't have so long dorsal fin. But it seems that the fish at that photo is still juvenile. And I really think that I have three more of that same species . I bought them as rebeli which they are not but the wholesaler has got them from Cameroon and that was the closest looking syno he could find. They are still pretty small, about 6-8cm but they look very much same with the bigger one. So I think the yellow one is from Cameroon too. I will post some photos when I get them.

Did you not post pictures of those three here...or are they new as well?

And then I still have one totally black syno from tanganyika, I found it from one tank in one wholesaler and I had to buy it even I don't have tank for it. I gave it to my friend here who has tanganyika tank for it. That cat is a total mystery for me, it has very short and thick barbels and quite strong head. And a big mouth. I will go and get some photos at next week if someone knows what it is. It has been bitten by one Tetraodon sp. and it has some markings on his head from that.

Oh man...you just keep coming up with more and more surprises...where are those pics
Seriously though, an all black syno and from Tanganyika...that is a mystery!

Birger

[Richard B]

I am intrigued by an all black tang syno - it could be a "sport".....

[Birger]

I am intrigued by an all black tang syno - it could be a "sport".....

I was thinking of this as well...maybe settled into a new tank it may change a little, something recognizable may show through.

pic 7 budgetti.

quote]

Any opinions?

I would say it is a thin male schall...I do not see the distinctive humeral of budgetti...are the three spikes on budgetti's humeral something that develops with maturity similar to odontodes in pleco's?

Birger

[jippo]

I still have to go back to the yellow syno issue, I have been checking now all my books to find a correct species for that one with no success . Only in Kobayagawas The World of Catfishes at page 12 there is photo of leopardina which doesn't have so long dorsal fin. But it seems that the fish at that photo is still juvenile. And I really think that I have three more of that same species . I bought them as rebeli which they are not but the wholesaler has got them from Cameroon and that was the closest looking syno he could find. They are still pretty small, about 6-8cm but they look very much same with the bigger one. So I think the yellow one is from Cameroon too. I will post some photos when I get them.

Did you not post pictures of those three here...or are they new as well?

They are new fishes as well, I will try to get some photos soon.

I am intrigued by an all black tang syno - it could be a "sport".....

I was thinking of this as well...maybe settled into a new tank it may change a little, something recognizable may show through.

I visited my friend earlier this week and it still looked totally black in decorated aquarium. I will post photos next week when I go there with camera.