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. Can be confused with the similar
looking S.
sorex from the
same location. Description: Like
all members of the genus Synodontis, S.
caudovittatus has a strong, bony head capsule
that extends back as far as the first spine of the
dorsal fin. The head contains a distinct narrow, bony,
external protrusion called a humeral process. The
shape and size of the humeral process helps to identify
the species. In S. caudovittatus, the humeral
process is flat, routh, a little longer than it is
broad, and ends in a sharp point. The front edges
of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins of Synodontis
species are hardened into stiff spines. In S.
caudovittatus, the spine of the dorsal fin is
slightly curved, long, about as long or a little shorter
than the head, smooth or finely serrated in the front
and serrated on the back. The remaining portion of
the dorsal fin is made up of seven branching rays.
The spine of the pectoral fin about as long as the
dorsal fin spine, and serrated on both sides and the
adipose fin is 3 to 4 times as long as it is deep.
The anal fin contains four unbranched and eight branched
rays. The tail, or caudal fin, is deeply forked, with
the upper lobe being longer. All members of the genus
Synodontis 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. caudovittatus,
the toothpad forms a short and broad band. On the
lower jaw, or mandible, the teeth of Synodontis
are attached to flexible, stalk-like structures and
described as "s-shaped" or "hooked".
The number of teeth on the mandible is used to differentiate
between species; in S. caudovittatus, there
are 33 to 38 teeth on the mandible. Colouration:
The body colour is grey, tinged with olive on the
head and back. The fins are dark, except the spines
and their filaments which are whitish. The caudal
fin is greyish white, with a deep black band along
each lobe and the barbels are white. Diet:
Feeds on algae, macrophytes, detritus, crustaceans,
insects and mollusks.The growth rate is rapid in the
first year, then slows down as the fish age.
Common
Name:
White-finned Synodontis
Synonyms:
Synodontis caudovittata
Family:
Mochokidae
Distribution:
Africa:
Sudan, Nile basin. Type locality:
Mouth of Lake No, White Nile.
Size:
20.0cm. (8ins)
Temp:
21-24°C (69-75°F)
p.H.
6.5-7.5.
Reference:
Boulenger, George
Albert (1909). Catalogue of the fresh-water
fishes of Africa in the British museum (Natural history).
London: British Museum. pp. 397–398. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors.
2021. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication.
www.fishbase.org, ( 06/2021 ). Poll, M., 1971. Révision des
Synodontis africains (famille Mochocidae). Ann. Mus.
R. Afr. Centr., Sci. Zool., 191:1-497.
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