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Just took some pics of one my male Synodontis Petricola, I have 4 in total in this tank. This one was being very photogenic tonight. He is around 4"

Can anyone tell me what variety he is?

In terms of shape and appearance, it looks like a cf. petricola "Dwarf" to me. 4" is the top of the size range for a "Dwarf".

Dinyar

thanx Dinyar

what kind is this one then?

What is known as a white polli.

Silurus wrote:What is known as a white polli.

information on ID for the polli says:

The fin colouration (black dorsal ray), large, well spaced and irregularly shaped spots also identify this species.

this one pictured above has the white leading edge on the dorsal though?!

notes on id for the petricola...

S. petricola is the only species with a solid white leading dorsal and pectoral fin ray and the spotted body pattern.

Oops, missed that. Another dwarf petricola, then. Looks like this one: http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/mo ... 103_17.php

ok, thanx, I just wanted to make sure that I didnt have two diff varieties in the same tank... although this one looks alot different than the first set of pics...

I guess the two pics above match what is shown here... would you agree?

then the thing that I dont understand is, why would I have two males that do the "ring around the rosey" in a coconut cave. I thought that is a sign of breeding?!

The pics in the original post show a "dwarf', but it's a (sub)adult and fairly thin, as 'dwarfs' go.

The second batch of pics show another dwarf, but this is a juvie!
youngsters and adults show a LOT of differences in this particular species, and with individuals of a similar age, there's a wide arrange of spotpatterns, backgroundcolor, length and color of the spines as well.

the best way to see if it's indeed a "petricola dwarf" and not a "polli White' or genuine petricola or something else:
-irregular pattern with spots and blotches of different sizes.
-when young, the dorsal and pectoral spines are white, but these turn darker when maturing, although they ALWAYS show lighter when compared to the black or dark fin behind the spine!
-background color differs: white or ivory white in juveniles, leading to greyish on the back, grey to ivorywhite, lightbrown or a mixture of this in adults.
-oval mouthshape, but not very wide; mouth points downward
-gravid females and well-fed juveniles have a rounded belly, and a fairly 'stubby' shape; old males can get fairly stretched and turn quite dark

"polli white":
-spots are big and very irregular, no small spots 'in between'; the contrast between the spots and the bodycolor is striking; youngsters and subadults can show a greenish metallic 'sheen'.
-dorsal spine is black with a white tip; pectoral spine has a light or white edge, but is not solid white!
-head is more 'lumpy', and it's highbuild as well
-the whole fish is much shorter and much more stubby build than 'dwarfs'
-small horseshoe-shaped mouth with orange teeth

true petricola:
-often larger, fish up to 5" turn up as contaminants in wildcaught mixed shipments, especially when there's a non-Zambia Synodontis shipment. There IS however a Zambiam Syno that looks similar as well.
-VERY stretched build, even when juvenile; gravid females have a rounded belly, but a long caudal peduncle....body-proportions remind us of Synodontis brichardi
-wide mouth with oval shape, often the large upper lip points forward; so when viewed from the front, one can look inside the mouth.
-bodycolor ranges from reflecting white in juveniles to a very dark greyish brown, often the whole fish turns dark when old.
-the white bands on both dorsal and pectoral spines are very wide and contrasting in juvies, to disappear almost completely when adult or old.
-spots are many, small and even; although there is a 'big spot' variety as well, and some individuals show a 'dwarf' pattern. These fish still have all the other marks of the true petricola (larger size, slim shape, wide mouth etc)

thanx for the info...

so if the fish pictured above breed it would be a good thing then?!

yup, no worries.

if all the fish in the pics are yours, you just have a nice big genepool of dwarfs, wich is good.

good to know...

thank you for all the help....

I have 3 petricolas, 1 is around 1.5", the other 2 are around 2.5" or so.

Hopefully I can get a couple more if i ever see them stocked locally again!

Ben