Synodontis polyodon
Synodontis polyodon is a species of upside-down catfish native to Gabon where it occurs in the Ogowe River basin.[1] It was first described by French zoologist Léon Vaillant in 1895, based upon a holotype discovered in the Ogooué River, near Adouma, Gabon.[2] The specific name "polyodon" comes from the Greek words poly, meaning "many" and odon, meaning "tooth", referring to the many teeth in this species.
| Synodontis polyodon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Siluriformes |
| Family: | Mochokidae |
| Genus: | Synodontis |
| Species: | S. polyodon |
| Binomial name | |
| Synodontis polyodon Vaillant, 1895 | |
Description
The body of the fish is brownish with traces of dark spots forming four or five transverse series.[3]
Like other members of the genus, this fish has a humeral process, which is a bony spike that is attached to a hardened head cap on the fish and can be seen extending beyond the gill opening.[2] The humeral process in this species is striated, keeled, long and slender, and acutely pointed at the end.[3] The first ray of the dorsal fin has a hardened first ray which is smooth on the front and slightly serrated on the back.[3] The pectoral spines are as long as the head and are strongly serrated on both sides, especially the inner side.[3] The caudal fin is deeply forked.[2] It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw.[2] In the lower jaw, about 75 teeth are arranged in a long series.[3] The fish has one pair of long maxillary barbels, extending a bit beyond the base of the pectoral spine, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched.[2] The adipose fin is 3 1/2 times as long as it is high.[3]
This species grows to a length of up to 31.4 centimetres (12.4 in) SL[1][2]
Habitat
In the wild, the species inhabits tropical freshwaters.[1] it occurs in the Ogowe River basin in Gabon.[4]
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Synodontis polyodon" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
- "Synodontis polyodon Vaillant, 1895". Planet Catfish. 3 Feb 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- Boulenger, George Albert (1909). Catalogue of the fresh-water fishes of Africa in the British museum (Natural history). London: British Museum. pp. 436–438.
- Moelants, T. (2010). "Synodontis polyodon". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T181644A7696151. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T181644A7696151.en. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
External links
