AquaticRepublic.com - Synodontis fuelleborni (Mochokidae) All Fishes

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All Fishes Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Synodontis fuelleborni** Hilgendorf & Pappenheim, 1903
Common Name
Type Locality	Songwe, Lake Rukwa, east of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania.
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. In honour of the German surgeon-major and anthropologist Prof. Dr. F. Fulleborn (18661933).
Species Information
Size	192mm or 7.6" 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. Ricardo (1939a: 651) wrote:"Dark yellowish green, mottled or marbled with bright yellow; fins grey with dark spots arranged rather irregularly in transverse series.". From Seegers: a freshly caught fish was bright yellow with an olive tinge, mottled or marbled with irregular dark olive brown spots. Thes spots partly merged and formed large areas on the body which are separated from each other by thin irregular lines or bands of bright yellow. In captivity this bright yellow ground colour got darker and the marbling became more prominent. The colouration of the juveniles shows a pattern which is more coarse than that of the adults but in general is quite similar.The species shows some changes from juveniles to adults, but these changes are not very dramatic.
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.
General Remarks	Fishbase lists 192mm TL. Specimens recorded from the Rufigi system may be a different species. See also The Fishes of the Lake Rukwa Drainage, Seegers p240.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Lake Rukwa and Rufigi basin in Tanzania. African Waters, Southern Rift Lakes, Rukwa (click on these areas to find other species found there) African Waters, Tanzania Waters, Rufigi (click on these areas to find other species found there) Log in to view data on a map.
IUCN Red List Category	Least Concern, range map and more is available on the IUCN species page. Last assessed 2006.
Temperature	20.0-25.0°C or 68-77°F (Show species within this range)
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Mann (1964a)concluded that there was a more dominant vegetable component in the diet. User data.
Breeding	Unreported. It is thought they spawn in the wild in April or May.
Breeding Reports	There is no breeding report.
Further Information
Reference	Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin 1903 (no. 6), pp 265.
Registered Keepers	There is no registered keeper.
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 is no record of this fish being seen.
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Last Update	2020 Sep 20 02:42 (species record created: 2004 Nov 27 00:00)