Synodontis petricola
| Synodontis petricola | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conserved holotype of Synodontis petricola . |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Synodontis petricola | ||||||||||||
| Matthes , 1959 |
Synodontis petricola is a member of the more than 130 species comprehensive genus Synodontis , which belongs to the subfamily of the whiskered catfish (Mochokinae) of the family Mochokidae . The species wasscientifically describedin 1959 as Synodontis petricola . The type epithet petricola means rock-dwelling.
features
Synodontis petricola is a maximum of 13.5 centimeters long, the standard length is 11.5 centimeters. The laterally not flattened, brownish body is marked with numerous large, dark brown spots, the hard rays of the fins are white. The bases of all fins except the adipose fin are patterned with black triangles. The caudal fin is deeply forked. A well-developed adipose fin is present.
Fin formula : dorsal II / 7, anal iii – iv / 7–9, pectoral 8–9, ventral i / 6, caudal i, 7.8, i.
The skin of the body is vertically folded several times and without papillae. The head is broad and somewhat flattened, the scalp covered with tiny papillae, which continue to the back to the adjacent trunk area and to the front to the base of the barbels. The middle mandibular barb is divided. In the lower jaw there are 31 to 50 teeth that are in six rows. The eye diameter is 28.7 to 40.1% of the length of the snout. The eyes are on the sides of the top of the head. Your pupils are slightly longer than they are tall. The mouth is below.
The Synodontis species of Lake Tanganyika can be distinguished from the representatives from all other waters in that they (with one exception: S. melanostictus ) have dark wedges and bars in their fins. All Lake Tanganyika species have many dark spots on a beige-brown or white-gray to gray background, at least in their youth or half-adult stage. The species of the Synodontis petricola species complex almost always have spiny rays framed in white in the dorsal and pectoral fins and relatively short barbels . In contrast to most → Synodontis species, they have a relatively low build that is roughly as wide as it is high. The only other nominal species from this species complex is the recently described Synodontis lucipinnis . Also known is the dwarf whisker catfish (Dwarf-Petricola) and perhaps the large Petricola ( Synodontis sp. "Petricola Big"), both of which are scientifically undescribed. All these species can be distinguished from the actual S. petricola in that they have no sensory pore (axillary pore) between the shoulder process ( humeral process ) and the pectoral fin. Otherwise these species are similar in an almost amazing way. There are differences, for example, in the size of the eyes ( S. lucipinnis has the largest, the dwarf Petricola the smallest), in the color of the dorsal fin ( S. petricola and the dwarf Petricola have a massive black wedge, the others only have a wide, dark outer edge ) and the aforementioned axillary pore. The real S. petricola is up to 13.5 centimeters long.
Distribution and ecology
The entire species complex is endemic to Lake Tanganyika . Type locality of S. petricola is near the village Kashekezi in the northern part of the lake belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The species inhabits rocky areas and is ideally adapted to a life in rock crevices due to its slim body shape. The species is predominantly carnivorous, feeds on hydracaria, ostracods and insect larvae (trichoptera, chironomids), which it also finds in the growth by grazing on algae.
The species is on the international Red List of endangered animal and plant species of IUCN not threatened (Least Concern), but locally threatened by overfishing and siltation (2006).
Behavior and Reproductive Biology
The reproduction of S. petricola is not exactly known because of the unsecured identification, but this species is unlikely to reproduce much differently than other species from the Petricola complex. According to this, they are free spawners who, however, like to visit caves when spawning, where both parents release their sex products into the water. There should be up to 800 eggs that can be released per spawning act.
literature
- Max Poll : Révision des Synodontis Africains (Famille Mochocidae). Annales du Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Series 8, Zoologie, 191, 1971, pp. 1-497.
Web links
- Synodontis petricola on Fishbase.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Matthes, H. (1959): Poissons nouveaux du Lac Tanganika. Descriptions préliminaires. Folia Scientifica Africae Centralis , 5 (4) : 77-78.
- ^ A b Wright, JJ & LM Page (2006): Taxonomic revision of Lake Tanganyikan Synodontis (Siluriformes: Mochokidae). Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History, 46 (4): 99-154, online .
- ↑ Ntakimazi, G. 2006. Synodontis petricola . In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. (English, accessed on May 13, 2010)