Synodontis notata • Mochokidae • Cat-eLog • PlanetCatfish

Adult
Ventral view
Albino
Twelve spots
Pair - female above
Female
Male

Cat-eLog Data Sheet
Scientific Name	**Synodontis notata** Vaillant, 1893
Common Name(s)	Domino Syno
Type Locality	Congo
Synonym(s)	Synodontis notatus, Synodontis notatus binotata, Synodontis notatus ocellatus
Pronunciation	sin oh don tiss - no tah tuss
Etymology	Synodontis: From the Greek syn, meaning together, and odontos, meaning tooth; in reference to the closely-spaced lower jaw teeth. This specific epithet literally means notable(notatus,-a=notable, remarkable).
Species Information
Size	250mm (9.8") 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. A larger species, usually has one large spot on either side of a dark silver body. Some specimens have no spots, more than one spot and may not have the same number of spots on either flank of the same individual fish.
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 stuck (Which by the way, hurts like crazy!). 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 (And 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.
Habitat Information
Distribution	Africa: Congo Basin African Waters , Congo (hover or click on these areas to show maps or find other species found there)
pH	6.0 - 7.5
Temperature	22.0-26.0°C or 71.6-78.8°F (Show others within this range)
Other Parameters	4-15 °GH. Not a delicate species, will tolerate most water conditions.
Husbandry Information
Feeding	Blood worms, shrimps and chopped cockles are ideal and cause the fish to grow quickly and put on weight. A diet of a prepared sinking catfish pellet will suffice day to day.
Furniture	Caves made from any combination of pipes, rocks or bogwood. An area of swimming space should also be provided.
Compatibility	Although a large species, it is also peaceful. It likes plenty of caves to hide in and can be very active at times. It is tolerant of other catfish species and of its own kind. An adult needs at least a 4ft / 120cm tank.
Suggested Tankmates	Avoid small tank mates as these could easily be eaten when the catfish grows.
Breeding	Unreported.
Further Information
References	Bull. Soc. Philomath. Paris (Ser. 8)v. 5 (no. 1) - pp17 [5]
Registered Keepers	(1) Chrysichthys (k: 2), (2) clunkster, (3) synodont_fan, who also notes: "Mine is around 6 inches and quite aggressive; it patrols the center of the tank and most of the other synodontids stay out of its way. I like the body coloration - a two-tone pattern going from silvery on the bottom to light brown on top.", (4) Devangel, (5) Redcatman, (6) einstein-a-go-go, (7) kvnbyl (k: 2), (8) Junttis, (9) syno-kev, who also notes: "My biggest syno at about 8 inches she is always out and active and very calm with the other fish", (10) tezr, (11) Cornuta, (12) jippo (k: 5), (13) Camaroahopp, (14) chalky76, (15) lissaspence, (16) Viktor Jarikov, who also notes: "Definitely a hybrid, perhaps of notata with smth else; gentle, elusive, peaceful with other synos; eats all", (17) TheFishGuy, (18) JamieH, (19) arapaimag (k: 4), (20) Clown Crown, (21) anthonyking, (22) N0body Of The Goat, who also notes: "Beautiful 10+ spot specimen, quite diurnal and very tolerant of other Synos in tank". Click on a username above to see all that persons registered catfish species. You can also view all "my cats" data for this species. Add this species to your "my cats" page.
Breeding Reports	None.
More Resources	- Search Planet Catfish for more on Synodontis notata - BBcode (for use in linking to this page from forum posts) - Look up Synodontis notata on AquaticRepublic.com - Look up Synodontis notata on Fishbase, I.T.I.S. or ispecies search. - URL (for use in linking to the species from anywhere on the web)
Hits	8760 hits.
Last Update	2009 Jan 17 01:02 (species record created: 2001 Apr 21 00:00)

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