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Hippocampus Bildarchiv (2) Barry Appleby (1) Jim Makin (1art) Johnny Jensen's Photographic Library (2) Danny Blundell (1art) Jiku Ngando (1)

Description: The original description was Synodontis batensoda, named by the German Ichthyologist W.P.E.S Rüppell in 1832 in his paper "Continuation of the description and figure of several new fish, in the Nile. p1-14 ." It was known as this name until Bleeker in 1862 erected a new genus, Brachysynodontis for it. This was because of the differences between the numbers of gill rakers and the absence of a gap between the dorsal and adipose fin. This is still an ongoing debate after it was moved back into the Synodontis genera again. Aquarium Care: Keeping S. batensoda in the aquarium poses no problem as they are in my experience an easy going Synodontis and can be quite entertaining in their forages around the tank swimming upside-down along the top of the tank and then reverting to their bottom posture as they glide along the bottom. I have found that they sometimes can get bullied by the more aggressive members of this family so as with all Syno's you will have to experiment to find the best solution for its tankmates. They will do better in a small group but can also be kept singularly. Diet: Omnivore, in its natural habitat it feeds on plankton, algae and detritus. May also feed on surface insects, chironomid larvae, benthic crustaceans and mollusks. In the aquarium they will take a wide range of foods. They will feed during the day and accept live food, frozen food (bloodworm) tablet and pellet foods and a good quality flake. I have also witnessed my specimen gnawing away at a piece of courgette (zucchini) which was left out for my Ancistrus, so a little bit of greenery now and again would also supplement their diet. Etymology: From Schal baten soda, local name for this catfish in Cairo, Egypt, meaning “the Schal [Arabic vernacular in Egypt for squeaker catfishes in general] with the black belly”. Remarks: The third specimen pictured by Barry Appleby has been about a bit and is around the 23 year mark, showing once again the longevity of some species of Synodontis.

Giant upside-down catfish

Brachysynodontis batensoda

Mochokidae

Africa: Nile, Chad, Niger (including the Bénoué), Senegal and Gambia basins.

17.5cm. (7ins)

23-27°C (73-81°F)

6.0-7.2.

ScotCat Factsheet no. 65. Nov. 2001.
The ETYFish Project. Fish Name Etymology Database © Christopher Scharpf.