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Scientific Name Synodontis dhonti  Boulenger, 1917
Common Name
Type Locality Kilewa Bay, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lake Tanganyika.
Pronunciation sin oh don tiss - don tee
Etymology According to Cuvier, Synodontis is an "ancient name for an undetermined fish from the Nile". It is apparently not derived, as often reported, from syn-, together and odous, tooth, presumed etymology of the lizardfish genus Synodus and in reference to the closely-spaced lower jaw teeth of both genera. 
Hop to next section Species Information
Size 400mm or 15.7" SL. Find near, nearer or same sized spp.
Identification All species in the genus Synodontis have a hardened head cap that has attached a process (humeral process) which is situated behind the gill opening and pointed towards the posterior. The dorsal fin and pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated. Caudal fin is always forked. There is one pair of maxillary barbels, sometimes having membranes and occasionally branched. The two pairs of mandibular barbels are often branched and can have nodes attached. The cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw are short. S-shaped and movable in the lower jaw. These fish produce audible sounds when disturbed rubbing the base of the pectoral spine against the pectoral girdle.

Coloration in Alcohol- Body lacking spots; uniformly brown, all barbels brown; dorsal and pectoral-fin spines brown, filaments dark. All rayed fins uniformly brownish with black patches at base of rayed fins. Large axillary pore present; up to 22 mandibular teeth; 8 pectoral fin rays; premaxillary toothpad uninterrupted; maxillary barbel with narrow basel membrane; secondary branches on medial mandibular barbel present; granular papillae present on skin of body. Humeral process narrow, elongated, granulous; possessing distinct ridge on ventral margin; dorsal margin concave; terminating in a blunted point.
Sexing First lay the fish in your hand with its head toward your palm and the tail toward your fingers. Hold the dorsal spine between your middle and ring finger so the fish is belly up and you won't get punctured by the sharp fin spines (which hurts - be careful). The genital pore is in a small furrow of tissue (in healthy fish) and will be obstructed by the pelvic fins. Pull down on the tail gently to arch the fishes spine and the pelvic fins will stand and the furrow open to display the genital pore and the anus of the fish. The male has a somewhat ridged genital papillae on which the spermatoduct is on the back side, facing the tail fin. A gravid female will also show an extended papillae but the oviduct is on the ventral side of the papillae. It may also show a little redness if really gravid. A thin or emaciated female will have just two pink pores, the oviduct and the anus.
General Remarks An explanation is in order as to why there is some confusion with what has been called Synodontis dhonti in the past. Synodontis dhonti (Boulenger 1917) was described from a single specimen collected in 1912. Synodontis irsacae (Matthes, 1959) was placed in junior synonymy with S. dhonti by Matthes in 1962 with specimens of S. irsacae being thought to be juvenile individuals of S. dhonti. Wright & Page in 2006 put forth that none of these specimens have carried on any ontogenetic changes that would support the idea of S. irsacae being a juvenile form of S. dhonti. A major difference between S. dhonti and S. irsacae also being the absence of an axillary pore in S. irsacae. Mathes cited a specimen in 1962 as being intermediate between the two species and this fish turned out to actually be a specimen of S. tanganaicae. Synodontis dhonti is a very large brown Synodontis based on its description. The fish many have kept for years as S. dhonti have neither grown very large or very brown, which suggests they are not what was once thought.
Hop to next section Habitat Information
Distribution Africa: Lake Tanganyika.
African Waters, Western Rift Valley Lakes, Tanganyika (click on these areas to find other species found there)

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IUCN Red List Category Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2006.
Hop to next section Husbandry Information
Breeding Unreported.
Breeding Reports There is no breeding report.
Hop to next section Further Information
Reference Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 8) v. 20 (no. 119), pp 367.
Registered Keepers There is no registered keeper.
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Last Update 2020 Sep 24 14:11 (species record created: 2002 Apr 12 00:00)