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Max Poll Révision des Synodontis Africains (Famille Mochocidae) (3) Andrew Nightingale (1)

Habitat: Found in deep, open waters and shallow inshore areas of Lake Albert. Occurs in lakes and channels. Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13. Diagnosis: gill slits not extending ventrally beyond pectoral-fin insertions; interorbital space over 50% of head width; post-orbital length at least 60% of snout length; maxillary barbels longer than head, unbranched, without tubercles and bordered by a short but distinct, dark basal membrane; outer mandibular barbels with rather numerous, simple ramifications, branches of inner mandibular barbels subdivided, thick and tuberculate; mandibular teeth rather short, numbering 36-48; denticulations of pectoral-fin spines strong on inner, and hardly visible on outer margin; dorsal-fin spine smooth anteriorly, except for some apical denticles; first branched ray of dorsal and pectoral fins prolonged into a filament; adipose fin high and long, distincly separated from rayed dorsal fin; humeral process deep, pointed and granulose, not keeled ventrally; body covered with very small black specks; caudal fin without spots or dots. Colouration: Uniformly brownish, with numerous very small black spots, also on adipose fin, but none on other fins. Reproductiom: Breeding takes place during flooding in June to early dry down in January. Diet: Feeds on algae, macrophytes, detritus, crustaceans, insects and mollusks.

Sudan squeaker

Synodontis citernii, Synodontis frontosa

Mochokidae

Africa: Nile basin; Lakes Rudolf, Albert, Eduard and Kioga; Chad basin; Uebi Giupa (Uebi Shebeli). Type Locality: Nil [White Nile, Sudan].

29.0cm. (11½ins)

22-26°C (71-79°F)

6.0-8.0.

Paugy, D. and T.R. Roberts, 2003. Mochokidae. p. 195-268 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p.
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2019. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, ( 08/2019 ).
Ferraris, C.J. Jr., 2007. Checklist of catfishes, recent and fossil (Osteichthyes: Siluriformes), and catalogue of siluriform primary types. Zootaxa 1418:1-628.