Synodontis Lace Cat

[aperturepriority]

I bought this from Walmart under the name of Synodontis Lace Cat. Can someone tell me the exact species? Sorry for the flash burned eye.

[naturalart]

From here looks like a hybrid.... or a S. eupterus with lateral line disease.

[aperturepriority]

Thank you. I'm not familiar with lateral line disease. The cat is very active and healthy acting otherwise. Can you give me some insight about lateral line disease?

[bekateen]

Hi Aperturepriority,

You can learn more about LLD by reading this thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=41524.

Cheers, Eric

[Birger]

Could be just the exposure of the picture...does the fish (looks to be a Synodontis eupterus) actually have the white showing at the lateral line in real life??

Birger

[aperturepriority]

Thanks Eric. Hi Birger, the line is there on both sides. They are not quite as bright as in the photo, but they are symmetrical, and quite beautiful. What threw me off on the ID of the fish, besides the white line, was the darkness of the body. The Synodontis eupterus photos show a lighter fish with dark spots. This one is as black as a black moor goldfish. I'm just hoping the white line is the result of being a hybrid and not a disease.

[Birger]

the line is there on both sides.

besides the white line, was the darkness of the body

Hmmmm there is a similar fish that is very dark but it would be very lucky indeed to have a specimen of this species, I still think this is a eupterus....unfortunately the white line means what we call here Lateral line disease and you should make a point of reading the other threads that were linked to.....this is reversible though.
It is interesting as on this site there have recently been people making some progress as to why this occurs and how to treat it....there is still much unknown about it.

Birger

[aperturepriority]

Thank you Birger. I am reading the threads. You've been very helpful. Thanks again. Frank.

[Shipmonkey]

Every "Lace Cat" I have purchased from Wal-Mart has been a eupterus. I have been unable to find nigrata in our area for quite a while.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Same here. IME some (most?) chain stores may call S. eupterus a "Lace" catfish, which is erroneous but the name game is hard to change. Wrong common names are deeply rooted in the system that's also conservative and resists changes in the state of the art / taxonomy. Another example is "perruno" catfish which is always Leiarius marmoratus.

[Shipmonkey]

Pet Smart does label theirs as Featherfins. It is always humorous to my that they will sell theirs at $17.99, but the Wal-Mart across the parking lot wants $6.93 for the same fish. Or sometimes, $2.99 because the employee cant tell which fish is which.

[Viktor Jarikov]

Our experiences mirror each other. Sometimes I see eupterus labeled "Up side down" syno, the name most usually reserved for the 3x smaller nigriventris.

[bekateen]

Our experiences mirror each other. Sometimes I see eupterus labeled "Up side down" syno, the name most usually reserved for the 3x smaller nigriventris.

Yes, we've found eupterus labeled "upside down cat" at our local Petco. We bought one (it was really small, about 3/4 inch, when it still resembled a nigriventris to us who didn't know better) to add to our two nigriventris, only to discover this ugly duckling turned into a big.. Still ugly.. eupterus. I told the store about it, but for no effect.

[Birger]

Hah...you could even see

Mystus leucophasis

as upside down cats and in with synodontis.That is what is cool about common names...instead of being upset they do not get it right (what is right when it comes to common names??)...consider it an opportunity.

Birger

[Shipmonkey]

Hah...you could even see

Mystus leucophasis

as upside down cats and in with synodontis.That is what is cool about common names...instead of being upset they do not get it right (what is right when it comes to common names??)...consider it an opportunity.

Birger

A store I visited in Sacramento recently had a mixed upside down cat tank, of

Mystus leucophasis

and eupterus.

[bekateen]

A store I visited in Sacramento recently had a mixed upside down cat tank, of

Mystus leucophasis

and eupterus.

I live near Sacramento, so I'm curious - Which store was this?

Thanks, Eric

[Shipmonkey]

A store I visited in Sacramento recently had a mixed upside down cat tank, of

Mystus leucophasis

and eupterus.

I live near Sacramento, so I'm curious - Which store was this?

Thanks, Eric

Exotic Aquarium.

[bekateen]

okay, thanks