Unknown Syn - ID please

[synoangel]

Hi All,

Bought these from Aquotix, they were labelled as Synodontis Jaeguar. I cant find any info on this name, so I got the feeling they are something else.




Can anyone ID them?

Daniel

[Silurus]

The nearest to this is

Synodontis nigromaculatus

(a southern African species), but I have seen fish like this mixed intogether with shipments of

Synodontis nigrita

(which come from western Africa), so I do not think these are really S. nigromaculatus.

[sidguppy]

isn't nigromaculatus supposed to have much smaller spots?

[Silurus]

That's true, but the only other possibility is S. macrostigma, and the dorsal edge of the humeral process is completely the wrong shape for this species. As I stated earlier, I didn't think it is S. nigromaculatus, but the southern African spotted species are about the closest to the fish in question. Another possibility is that this is a member of the

Synodontis waterloti

complex.

[synoangel]

Thought I might bump this post, no one seems to know but its worth another go.

Daniel

[Birger]

no one seems to know but its worth another go.

Armed with new literature I will give it a go...but would like to know the length of it now...

Birger

[caudalis]

There is a population of S.nigromaculatus in Lake Mweru-Wantipa which has much larger spots, so could be nigromaculatus. But origin would make i.d. a bit easier.

[synoangel]

Originally bought at 6-7cm, look to have stopped growing at about 10-12cm.

The shop has supplied the following information

I can say that when I first saw them there were several Syno robbianus mixed in with them, now in a separate tank, so this might give insight into which river they originate from (just a guess - look at which rivers robbianus comes from and that will narrow the list down)
They are also bigger than what they where when I first saw them , so this would indicate that they are a larger spp, as compared to the robbianus, they only grow to 17cm and they are now only half the size of the unknown Syno.

Daniel

[Birger]

So here is what I am thinking...the pattern of the spotting on the body,with the basal membrane on the maxillary barbels,humeral process keeled ventrally,prolonged pectoral spine,distance of the pectoral fin from the anal fin...there are other details that I cannot tell for sure in these pictures,I would need to see a better shot of the mandibular barbels and the caudal fin.
I think it is

Synodontis rebeli

In the new Stiassny book(The fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea) they talk of a S.obesus/rebeli complex where there are different morphological variants from different geographical locations that are difficult to tell apart and of course further studies are underway.
In that book they have the max size as 198mm SL
Also their distribution is not far from where S.robbianus are also found

Birger