Which syno?
Which syno?
Hello,
I bought this catfish named as multipunctatus, however I'm almost sure that is false.
It looks like eupterus or courteti, but it looks a little bit different.
Anyone can recognize this fish?
Sorry, for the picture quality, it's a nasty little fella to capture.
Size appr. 10 cm (4 inch).
mathieu
I bought this catfish named as multipunctatus, however I'm almost sure that is false.
It looks like eupterus or courteti, but it looks a little bit different.
Anyone can recognize this fish?
Sorry, for the picture quality, it's a nasty little fella to capture.
Size appr. 10 cm (4 inch).
mathieu
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Hmm, would water conditions make a <I>S. ocellifer</I> that pale? If so then that would be my best guess. Strange things are happening in Syno land as we are seeing lots of odd looking fish from fish farms.
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Hi Silurus/Jools,
Thanks for the help.
I was just about to say the same thing about the ocellifer. (Mine has large spots on the fins.) However, the shape of the body/head and color is about the same.
I don't think it's macrostigma. I couldn't find any picture of macrostoma on the internet, so I can't verify this one. Do you have a picture/link?
Tomorrow I'll try to take a picture of the head, I'll ask the fish to sit still for a moment
mathieu
Thanks for the help.
I was just about to say the same thing about the ocellifer. (Mine has large spots on the fins.) However, the shape of the body/head and color is about the same.
I don't think it's macrostigma. I couldn't find any picture of macrostoma on the internet, so I can't verify this one. Do you have a picture/link?
Tomorrow I'll try to take a picture of the head, I'll ask the fish to sit still for a moment
mathieu
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Looking at the original description of <i>S. macrostoma</i> again, it would seem that this is not your fish. Spots on the head of <i>S. macrostoma</i> are smaller, and the sots appear to be more elongated (they look more like flattened ovals) than in your fish (although <i>S. macrostoma</i> does have large spots on the fins).
One other possibility is that your fish may be one of those interspecific hybrids (ugh) that seem to be getting more common these days.
One other possibility is that your fish may be one of those interspecific hybrids (ugh) that seem to be getting more common these days.
Last edited by Silurus on 06 Feb 2003, 19:43, edited 1 time in total.
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I have no idea what this fish is. I do have some ideas as to what it's not.
Not S. multipunctatus, S. eupterus (no sail fin), S. ocellifer (HH correctly pointed out this has much more prominent adipose fin), S. macrostoma (doesn't enter the trade, among other things), also very unlikley to be S. nyasssae.
Mathieu, can you posssibly get us a better photo of this fish, please?
Dinyar
Not S. multipunctatus, S. eupterus (no sail fin), S. ocellifer (HH correctly pointed out this has much more prominent adipose fin), S. macrostoma (doesn't enter the trade, among other things), also very unlikley to be S. nyasssae.
Mathieu, can you posssibly get us a better photo of this fish, please?
Dinyar
I've been searching for pictures of syno's on the internet for a while now, and I think my fish is closet to the ocellifer. (Even the pictures of the ocellifer found on the internet differ from eachother.) I'm also starting to think this is a crossing between two species. I will go to the shop were I bought them and explain this to the owner, he might be interessed to hear this. Last week I was there he just had a new tank full of juvenile synos, again labelled as 'multipunctatus'.
Btw, I'm from The Netherlands.
mathieu
Btw, I'm from The Netherlands.
mathieu
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Might be a good idea to ask where they came from. If they came from West Africa, then there is a good chance it is not a hybrid (the absolute closest I can get using Poll's revision is <i>S. rebeli</i>). If they weren't wild caught, well then there you have it...hybrid.
Last edited by Silurus on 05 Jun 2004, 10:48, edited 1 time in total.
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it still looks quite a bit like a S nyassee to me; the proportions fit, and the headspots ARE smaller.
I don't think it has anything remotely multipunctatus in it; those are more highbuilt, not to mention; there should be at least some black in the fins...
I don't think it has anything remotely multipunctatus in it; those are more highbuilt, not to mention; there should be at least some black in the fins...
Plan B should not automatically be twice as much explosives as Plan A
You might be right about the njassae. I found this link:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/d ... age_view=1
I guess this is the large spot njassae? This is indeed quiet close to mine fish.
The other pictures I found (e.g. on this website) of the njassae, they have all small spots, and doesn't look like mine fish.
mathieu
http://www.aquariacentral.com/species/d ... age_view=1
I guess this is the large spot njassae? This is indeed quiet close to mine fish.
The other pictures I found (e.g. on this website) of the njassae, they have all small spots, and doesn't look like mine fish.
mathieu
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Re: Which Syno?
I did a short article on these fish in 1999 in Catfish Compendium entitled "(Not) Synodontis pardalis Boulenger, 1908".
The fish were being sold and shown as the above fish. After looking at the figure and 'examining' the type specimens of pardalis which are at the Natural History Museum (London), it became obvious they were not pardalis. I not only compared the external appearances, but also compared the structures of the teeth both in the upper and lower jaw.
My conclusion at the time (and I still feel the same) was/is that they are the true S. rebeli. The teeth, and overall pattern of the fish in the hobby match that of rebeli, and also rebeli come from Cameroon which is where the fish they were purported to be come from (pardalis). I see Heok Hee thinks they could be rebeli too.
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The fish were being sold and shown as the above fish. After looking at the figure and 'examining' the type specimens of pardalis which are at the Natural History Museum (London), it became obvious they were not pardalis. I not only compared the external appearances, but also compared the structures of the teeth both in the upper and lower jaw.
My conclusion at the time (and I still feel the same) was/is that they are the true S. rebeli. The teeth, and overall pattern of the fish in the hobby match that of rebeli, and also rebeli come from Cameroon which is where the fish they were purported to be come from (pardalis). I see Heok Hee thinks they could be rebeli too.
Steve Grant
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Mathieu, that link shows a wrong identified syno; that one is NOT a nyassee, but an ocellifer. I've seen many ocellifers sold off as nyassee; they make a better price....
It's a bit like the multipunctatus/petricola screw-up; all over the internet (try google, for example) you find those names labelled wrong.
A google search with "syno malawi" (s nyassee gave nothing at all) turned up one multipunctatus and one flavitaeniatus.....!
It took a bit, but if I'm not messing it up too bad; THIS is the TRUE S nyassee
at least the small spot variety:
and this one (probably the same individual )
It's a bit like the multipunctatus/petricola screw-up; all over the internet (try google, for example) you find those names labelled wrong.
A google search with "syno malawi" (s nyassee gave nothing at all) turned up one multipunctatus and one flavitaeniatus.....!
It took a bit, but if I'm not messing it up too bad; THIS is the TRUE S nyassee
at least the small spot variety:
and this one (probably the same individual )
Plan B should not automatically be twice as much explosives as Plan A
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Hi Siluris
your Syno looks indeed a lot like mine; even the humeral bone (is this right? I meant the backwards protruding bone above the pectoral implant) is the same shape; not to mention the elongated shape, mouth, eyesize, whiskers etc.
Maybe we'refinally on to the true S nyassee.
I can see, the Syno-pics from the OP aren't nyassee, compared to this one.
your Syno looks indeed a lot like mine; even the humeral bone (is this right? I meant the backwards protruding bone above the pectoral implant) is the same shape; not to mention the elongated shape, mouth, eyesize, whiskers etc.
Maybe we'refinally on to the true S nyassee.
I can see, the Syno-pics from the OP aren't nyassee, compared to this one.
Plan B should not automatically be twice as much explosives as Plan A
Hi,
I went to the shop where I bought this fish. Unfortunately I couldn't talk to the right person. Is saw they have the 'real' multipunctatus now and the ones that I bought are now labelled as 'multipunctatus Zaire'. So I went back home and searched on the internet for this species. It seems it doesn't exist (on the internet at least). Anyone heard of this? (I think I know the answer )
Anyway, next week I'll go again to the shop and see if I can talk to the right person.
So probably I won't be able to ID this syno, too bad..
All those wrongly labelled pictures on the internet does make searching more complex. Eg take a look at this:
http://images.google.com/images?q=synod ... art=0&sa=N
The first picture it finds seems to be the same as mine (probably the same supplier as my fishshop?)
Mathieu
I went to the shop where I bought this fish. Unfortunately I couldn't talk to the right person. Is saw they have the 'real' multipunctatus now and the ones that I bought are now labelled as 'multipunctatus Zaire'. So I went back home and searched on the internet for this species. It seems it doesn't exist (on the internet at least). Anyone heard of this? (I think I know the answer )
Anyway, next week I'll go again to the shop and see if I can talk to the right person.
So probably I won't be able to ID this syno, too bad..
All those wrongly labelled pictures on the internet does make searching more complex. Eg take a look at this:
http://images.google.com/images?q=synod ... art=0&sa=N
The first picture it finds seems to be the same as mine (probably the same supplier as my fishshop?)
Mathieu
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update
Fyi:
Just got an update from the petshop. They say this fish is definitly not from Lake Tanganyika, but it is caught somewhere in the area Zaire/Congo. And the importer didn't know the name, so (s)he gave it the name "multipunctatus zaire". Somehow I got the feeling the petshop knew this name was wrong, because he'd already asked the importer before about this fish.
Anyway, I told him that its (propably) Rebeli. I'm curious whether they'll change the labels to prevent fools like me from buying the wrong fish.
mathieu
Just got an update from the petshop. They say this fish is definitly not from Lake Tanganyika, but it is caught somewhere in the area Zaire/Congo. And the importer didn't know the name, so (s)he gave it the name "multipunctatus zaire". Somehow I got the feeling the petshop knew this name was wrong, because he'd already asked the importer before about this fish.
Anyway, I told him that its (propably) Rebeli. I'm curious whether they'll change the labels to prevent fools like me from buying the wrong fish.
mathieu
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Dinyar; the WHOLE westcoast of Lake Tanganyika is Zaire (Congo again; actually), so there are probably tons of Riftlake "Zaire"syno's.
They are most likely VERY RARE in the trade, since going into Congo/Zaire is still very risky; there's complete anarchy over there ESPECIALLY near the lakeside.
even Ad Konings couldn't do research for his latest books on the North West corner of Lake Tang, and neither Toby Veal (sort of a Steve Irwin in cichlid country) or the Brichards go there either, and that's counting....
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Sid, Of course I accept your point that much of the west coast of L. Tanganyika is part of the Congo and that therefore, lots of Tang Synos could be called "Zaire synos". Apart from the anarchy, some parts of this area have also beeen affected by the recent volcano in Gombe.SG_Eurystomus wrote:Dinyar; the WHOLE westcoast of Lake Tanganyika is Zaire (Congo again; actually), so there are probably tons of Riftlake "Zaire"syno's.
They are most likely VERY RARE in the trade, since going into Congo/Zaire is still very risky; there's complete anarchy over there ESPECIALLY near the lakeside.
even Ad Konings couldn't do research for his latest books on the North West corner of Lake Tang, and neither Toby Veal (sort of a Steve Irwin in c*****d country) or the Brichards go there either, and that's counting....
Heok Hee's point that many Congo catfish enter the trade is also true.
In practice, it often seems to be the case that when importers talk of "Zaire" or "Congo Synos", they are often referring to a non-Rift Lake Syno. I think you and I know enough about Rift Lake Synos to be able to identify them in most cases. There are only a handful, and we've seen them all (lots of variation and open questions, true; maybe we haven't quite seeen them ALL, but close). I'm not equally confident of my abilty to identify riverine Congo Synos. Lots of species that I've never seen.
Dinyar