Synodontis..suspected hybrid, any information please

[petedarbyshire]

Hi, I have a group of 9 of these Synodontis, all the same and between 3-4inches long. I was told they are petricola but I am sure they are not. They look to me like a Granulosus x Multipunctatus, but..???. Anyone seen them before or can give an ID to them?

[petedarbyshire]

They look very similar to those posted by Kif earlier this month

[petedarbyshire]

I managed to get a short video of two of them

[Birger]

As already said looks to be much the same as these in this link http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 13&t=38475

Birger

[Viktor Jarikov]

Welcome to the Planet!

Birger knows his synos, so I'd trust him.

There is a mention of a close look-alike with photos in this thread, page 7, second post down: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... &start=120 where Dave Rinaldo says "This came in labelled as a Synodontis granulosa X Synodontis polli hybrid."

Yours, Kif's, and Dave's are the only three occurences I've met, barring bad memory. But I am not a syno buff by any means.

[petedarbyshire]

Thanks for the replys, I should mention that they are very active fish--much more so than my lucipinnis or petricola. They behave more like multipuncts. Ive never kept granulosa or polli
so I cannot compare behaviour to these suggested parents.

[Viktor Jarikov]

I know this pain and I hope some experts will be willing to speak their mind on your fishes' POSSIBLE lineage...

... but usually the experts don't appear to like this guessing game, highly speculative and rather fruitless (not to mention that the topic brings about (very) strong feelings from most true syno heads and experts). Even, AFAI understand, their parents or one parent may not be a genuine species.

You can read more on the hybrid synos in the thread I linked, if you so wish.

[racoll]

The maternal species of this similar looking hybrid is

Synodontis schall

.

[Birger]

but usually the experts don't appear to like this guessing game, highly speculative and rather fruitless

Unless you are studying the DNA of the fish the way @Racoll has been it often is a guessing game to come up with the parentage.

That said behaviour and size are two items that are usefull to know and is different species to species...what happens with hybrids is that a fish may take after one or the other parent for behaviour and size so knowing parentage could help for someone to prepare for what may (for example) possibly become a large active syno or aggressive etc.
that would be my reason for trying to come up with some thoughts of the original species so someone could prepare to give the best care possible.

It is hard for me to spend much time doing this with hybrids though.

Birger