Microsynodontis
polli Lambert, 1958
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his is one of three poorly documented pygmy Synodontis, the
other two being M.lamberti and M.batesii. The members
of this genus are sometimes confused with another small member of
the Mochokidae family, namely Mochokielia paynei, but paynei
has a forked tail whereas members of Microsynodontis possess
a rounded caudal and do not have branched maxillary barbels like
M.paynei.
The genus Microsynodontis have a rounded
caudal, small eyes and have 3 pairs of barbels, one pair of maxillary
and 2 pair of mandibular, the latter having thick branches. The
dorsal has one hard ray and 6 soft and a long low adipose fin.
This factsheet has been updated (Dec.2002) owing to further information
kindly furnished by Steven Grant a catfish enthusiast and author
here in the U.K. in a study that he has carried out on the genus
Microsynodontis. This is a quote taken from this very article
on the genus Microsynodontis by Steven.
"Baensch & Fischer (1998)
appears to show M. polli on page 357 (incorrectly identified
as batesii), although Heok Hee (Ichthyologist-Ed) says that
the fish in Baensch & Fischer probably originates from the Zaire
River near Kinshasa in the Democratic republic of the Congo, and
at the moment he is not sure if this fish is a separate species
from the true polli which originates from the Gbin River,
Guinea, which is a considerable distance away. My photograph of
polli (top picture-Ed) may also be the Zaire variant. When
it was small it had no or only very minute markings on the body.
The fish is now approx. 4 cm SL and the markings are more distinct
now."
The mystery that I find with this species is the collection points/names
that they are being sold at here in the U.K., and I believe in the
U.S. as well. They are being traded as Synodontis sp.'nyong',
nyong being a river in the African state of Cameroon, but as Steve
states, M.Polli does not come from Cameroon, Microsynodontis
batessi (bottom picture) does and is probably the species concerned.
The picture below shows a specimen sold as M. polli in the
trade and at the moment it is being captioned as Microsynodontis
sp. polli. There is now ongoing work on this genus being
carried out by Heok Hee Ng a Singaporean Ichthyologist working in
the U.S. and so this factsheet may even change again in the not
too distant future !
The first time that I kept this species a
few years ago, I did not keep them very long and I thought that
they were just one of those species that are hard to keep. I came
across them again in 1998 in a small shop in the Scottish borders
and was wary of buying them until the proprietor explained that
they kept them in alkaline water, and they were very happy. So I
bought 5, took them home and they settled fine in a livebearer tank
which was just over the p.H. of 7.
They certainly like their food and seem
to scurry along the bottom at breaknet speed, between the caves
and pots that I have set up for them, looking for any morsels of
food at feeding time. They do seem to relish frozen bloodworm and
they can get quite rotund with this diet.
This species seems to be very slow growing and I think in the future
could be a candidate for a spawning success, once a little more
information is forthcoming about their spawning habits.
Acknowledgment: Steven Grant for supplying updates for this
factsheet.
Rounded caudal, small eyes and have 3 pairs
of barbels, one pair of maxillary and 2 pair of mandibular, the
latter having thick branches. The dorsal has one hard ray and 6
soft and a long low adipose fin..
(Microsynodontis sp. polli) Brown body
colouration with 3 indiscriminate broken yellow/white bands circling
body. Two yellow/white bands run from eye to snout. One yellow/white
band runs from between dorsal insertion and eye, over top of head
and round body. One runs around body just before insertion of adipose
fin and the third broken line is just situated behind adipose fin.
Caudal and adipose fin have markings. Dorsal and anal fin have colouration
at the base of soft rays and colour in the first hard ray of the
dorsal.
No problem in a community tank as long as
the water parameters are adhered to and it is not housed with boisterous
species such as larger Cichlids.
Not known. Females are rounder in the body
than males.
Will take most prepared aquarium foods such
as frozen bloodworm, whiteworm, tablet food and sunken flake.
| Etymology |
Microsynodontis:
Micro = small; Syn = together; odontis
= teeth.(fused tooth plates).
polli
: In honour of Dr.Max Poll, ichthyologist.
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| References |
Burgess E.Warren
Dr: An Atlas of Freshwater and Marine Catfishes, 1989.
Grant, Steven; A pictorial guide to Microsynodontis
catfish, Planetcatfish.com
Top picture: Steven
Grant
Middle picture: 
Bottom picture: 
Aqualog Verlag; from the book Aqualog
Photo Collection 1 and is therefore copyright to this
publication. |
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| Synonyms:
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| None |
| Common
Name: |
| Pygmy
Synodontis, Pretty Woman Pygmy Synodontis |
| Family: |
| Mochokidae |
| Subfamily: |
| Mochocinae |
| Distribution: |
| Africa:
Gbin River, upper
Niger in Guinea. Reported from Saint John, Liberia |
| Size: |
| 6cm.
(2½ins) |
| Temp: |
| 24-27°C
(75-81°F) |
| pH.: |
| 7.0 - 7.5 |
| Donation: |
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