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his month (July 2022) we travel to the Asian continent and to a member of the Schilbeidae family and the Schilbe genera which we have covered twice in this factsheet series, (S. intermedius and S. marmoratus) and are not all that easy to identify from each other. The three mentioned all seem to posses the blotch on the operculum and they either posses an adipose fin or not.

Schilbe grenfelli - pair-female to rear

The adipose fin conundrum has a history that in the past there was two genera, Schilbe and Eutropius with the later not possessing an adipose fin but this characteristic was variable even within a species so Eutropius is now considered as a synonym of Schilbe. In 1984 De Vos transfered grenfelli from the Eutropius genus to Schilbe as it had a small adipose fin. The type genus is Silurus mystus Linnaeus, 1758 which does not posess an adipose fin.

Scleromystax grenfelli - Moyen-Ogooué, Gabon

The Schilbe genera are found in all of the large water systems in Africa and our factsheet of the month hails from the Congo River basin, Ogowe, Nyanga, and Ntem-Campo River basins, Nyong and Lokondje basins with the type locality being in Bolobo which sits on the border of the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and straddles the Congo River across from The Republic of the Congo up river from its capital Kinshasa.

None

Eutropius altipinnis, Eutropius congensis, E. congolensis, E. liberiensis, E.mentalis, E. niloticus, E. grenfelli, E.gastratus, E.bomae

None

Africa: Congo River basin, Ogowe, Nyanga, and Ntem-Campo River basins, Nyong and Lokondje basins. Type locality: Bolobo.

50.0cm. (20ins)

23-26°C (73-79°F)

Dorsal spines (total): 1. Diagnosis: adipose fin present and fully developed. Anterior nostrils closer to each other than the posterior pair; nasal barbel not reaching beyond the posterior border of the eye; inner side of pectoral spine weakly serrated; snout reaching beyond lower jaw; head rounded.

Grey/brown head and back; sides silvery with an irregular greyish pattern and a iridescent reflection. Base of pectoral, pelvic and anal fins yellowish, the fins often being faintly greyish speckled; ventral side of head pale; belly silvery white (De Vos 1995).

Large aquarium with tankmates not too small as they could become prey during night time activities. Will do better with conspecifics.

Oviparous, eggs are unguarded.

Not reported

Omnivorous or predominantly carnivorous, feeding on fruits, leaves, grains, insect larvae and nymphs, and small fish; very voracious. No problem in the aquarium as they will eat most aquarium fare.

Adipose fin: Fleshy finlike projection without rays, behind the rayed dorsal fin.
Anal fin: The median, unpaired, ventrally located fin that lies behind the anus, usually on the posterior half of the fish.
Caudal fin: The tail.
Conspecifics: Belonging to the same species; individuals or populations of the same species.
Dorsal fin: The primary rayed fin(s) on top of the body.
Nasal barbel: On top of the head, by the nostrils. (nasal barbels).
Operculum: The bony covering of the gills of fishes.
Pectoral fins: The paired fins just behind the head.
Pelvic fins: The paired fins, between the pectorals and the anal fins. (also referred to as ventrals).
Snout: The part of the head in front of the eyes.

Schilbe: schérifié (noble). It probably announces the superiority of this species for its taste".
grenfelli: Named for the collector of the type specimen, Mr. G. Grenfel, Protestant missionary.

Photo Credits

© Allan James @
© Joe Cutler
Map: Google Maps 2022