Adult
Netful of tank raised youngsters
Adult male
Female
Spawning in cichlid spawn site
Spawning in cichlid spawn site
Eggs one hour after spawning
Egg development after 7 days
Fry at 14 days of age
Eight week old juveniles
Ten week old fry
Close-up of head showing humeral process
Humeral process outlined in black
Southern tribe colour form
Southern tribe colour form
Southern tribe colour form
Male
Southern tribe form
Stamp
Juvenile
 All Fishes Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Synodontis multipunctatus Boulenger, 1898 |
| Common Names | Cuckoo Catfish Mangeplettet Gøgemalle (Denmark), Vielpunkt-Fiederbartwels (Germany) |
| Type Locality | Sumbu, Lake Tanganyika. |
| Synonym(s) | Synodontis multipunctata |
| Pronunciation | sin oh don tiss |
| Etymology | According to Cuvier, Synodontis is an "ancient name for an undetermined fish from the Nile". It is not derived, as often reported, from syn-, together and odous, tooth, presumed etymology of the lizardfish genus Synodus and refers to the closely-spaced lower jaw teeth of both genera. |
| Species Information | |
| Size | 275mm or 10.8" 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. 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. |
| 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 fish's 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 gravid. A thin or emaciated female will have just two pink pores, the oviduct and the anus. 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 fish's 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 gravid. A thin or emaciated female will have just two pink pores, the oviduct and the anus. |
| Habitat Information | |
| Distribution | Africa African Waters, Western Rift Valley Lakes, Tanganyika (click on these areas to find other species found there) Login to view the map. |
| IUCN Red List Category | Least Concern , a distribution map is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2006. |
| pH | 7.8 - 8.2 |
| Temperature | 25.0-26.0°C or 77-78.8°F (Show species within this range) |
| Other Parameters | Clean water low in nitrates appears to be important to keeping the fish in good health and inducing it to spawn. |
| Husbandry Information | |
| Breeding Reports | There is but a single breeding report, read it here. |
| Further Information | |
| Reference | Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1898 (pt 3), pp 497. |
| Registered Keepers | There are 2 registered keepers, view all "my fish" data. |
| Wishlists | Love this species? Click the heart to add it to your wish list. There is no wish to keep this species. |
| Spotters | Spotted this species somewhere? Click the binoculars! There are 5 records of this fish being seen, view them all. |
| More Resources | |
| Forum BBCode | |
 | Look up S. multipunctatus on PlanetCatfish.com |
 | Look up S. multipunctatus on Fishbase |
 | Look up S. multipunctatus on Encyclopedia of Life |
 | Look up S. multipunctatus on Global Biodiversity Information Facility |
| LFS label creator ARN ref:1.13.29.95 | |
| Last Update | Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am (Species record created: Thu Jan 01, 1970 1:00 am) |