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Frants Lehmann (2 Stamps) Julian Dignall (1) Joseph Heymans (1) Rob Palmer (1)

The spines are said to be poisonous on this species. Description: This species has a deep body, a large adipose fin and a forked caudal. The barbels are long and slender and the mandibulars have branches. The humeral process is triangular and pointed. Habitat: Occurs in pools and slow flowing reaches of perennial and seasonal rivers. Favours riverine habitats to floodplains. Shelters in holes or crevices or on the underside of logs, frequently in an upside-down position. Colouration: Plain olive brown or grey with small spots either present or absent. The spotted specimens are more common in populations from the Limpopo, Incomati and Phongolo rivers. Juveniles with albino patches on the body are often found. Reproduction: Oviparous, breeds in summer in the rainy periods. Aquarium Care: Reported to be aggressive towards conspecifics so would need hiding places to dilute this trait if kept with other Synodontis species in a large tank. Diet: Active at night, feeds on detritus and plant matter such as seeds as well as small invertebrates like insects and snails. Will scavenge readily. The usual aquarium foods for this genus. Remarks: There is ongoing discussions on whether S. zambezensis and S. zanzibaricus are one and the same species, as the colour of the spotted and unspotted patterns seem to overlap on each species, so until we have more investigations into this complex such as DNA studies we will have a better idea.

Plain squeaker

Hemisynodontis zambezensis, Synodontis zambesiensis, Synodontis gambiensis (non Günther,  1864).

Mochokidae

Africa: Pongolo, Limpopo, Pungwe and Zambezi basins; Rukwa Lake; Luangwe River. Absent from upper Save-Runde system. Type locality: riv. Zambèze, Mozambique.

43.0cm. (18ins)

23-25°C (73-79°F)

6.2-7.2.

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Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2009. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (10/2010).
Seegers, L. 2008 The catfishes of Africa. A handbook for identification and maintenance. Aqualog Verlag A.C.S. GmbH, Germany. 604 p.
Skelton, P.H. 1993 A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Southern Book Publishers. 388 p.