Unknown synodontis

[Discusan]

Hi ! I need the help! What is a synodontis?
I have received it from Nigeria together with a Synodontis ocelifer.

[Richard B]

if this is a wild caught Nigerian fish it doesn't seem to match anything i can think of...

[Chrysichthys]

I can't think of anything either. I suspect there are a lot of unknown species in the Niger.

[Richard B]

Having had a bit of time to do a little digging, i still cannot come up with any sp - the boldly striped tail should be a key id feature but alas i cannot pin this down if it is a w/c. A pic in focus would be beneficial

[Birger]

It does not match any syno's I know of from this area of Africa, the pattern does not really fit in, the pattern would be more of a fit for the Congo...maybe it would be a juvenile of a species, but I would like to see a picture of the fish in water if possible.

There are West African syno's yet to be described but a wild syno that looks like this would be a big hit.

Did you import the fish from Africa yourself, or is this information from a LFS??

Birger

[Chrysichthys]

the boldly striped tail should be a key id feature

The tail looks right for

Synodontis ocellifer

, but the body pattern certainly doesn't.

[Silurus]

I am not ruling out the possibility that this is merely a very bizarrely-patterned S. ocellifer.

[Discusan]

To me catfishes have got half year ago. All identical. On 5 centimetres. And now here on two this pattern it was showed.
After even photo I will add

[Richard B]

I am not ruling out the possibility that this is merely a very bizarrely-patterned S. ocellifer.

I sorta thought this, but then thought surely there couldn't be this much variation & then dismissed it. However if HH thinks it's a possibility then it could be - perhaps in a similar vein to decora & vittata?

[Chrysichthys]

It would help to have some close-ups of the head and barbels, if possible.

[Discusan]

Here some more photos. Forgive for quality - photos from a mobile phone.Also they float quickly too...

[jippo]

Looks quite strange to me, it has a pretty long snout and wide membrane at barbels. Nothing that I have seen before.

Have you bought these from Finland? From where?

[Discusan]

Looks quite strange to me, it has a pretty long snout and wide membrane at barbels. Nothing that I have seen before.

Have you bought these from Finland? From where?

I bought through the familiar supplier in the Netherlands it have told that fish from Nigeria from Monehin Globаl

[sidguppy]

I bought through the familiar supplier in the Netherlands it have told that fish from Nigeria from Monehin Globаl

oh shit.

me being Dutch, I'd REALLY like to know who this "familiar supplier in the Netherlands" is.
I know most if not all suppliers in the Netherlands and almost all are literally overrun with hybrids
and also: almost all do not hesitate for a second in labelling hybrids as genuine species.

it's not just because of the weather or because it's wednesday that I'm so hellbent on the hybrid issue!

if this fish originates from a Dutch wholesaler you cannot rule out hybrids!

[Discusan]

To me they have told that wild...
If it is a hybrid, what how you think?

[MatsP]

To me they have told that wild...
If it is a hybrid, what how you think?

If you tell Sidguppy what the wholesaler is, then he may be able to verify what they have and whether they belong to the category that would say "wildcaught" about fish that was born in the Czech repuclic or some such.

--
Mats

[sidguppy]

yup, agreed

although to be realistic; if this fish originates from a Dutch wholesaler, the chances of it being a hybrid are about 90%

it's our wholesalers that are up to the eyebrows in the hybrid scam, not the local fish stores. those just sell their fish as they are labelled.