Dwarf Bearded Catfish

Dwarf Bearded Catfish
	Indeterminate microsynodontic species from the Dja in Cameroon.
Systematics
Overcohort :	Clupeocephala
Cohort :	Otomorpha
Sub-cohort :	Ostariophysi
Order :	Catfish (Siluriformes)
Family :	Mochokidae
Genre :	Dwarf Bearded Catfish
Scientific name
	Microsynodontis
	Boulenger , 1903

The dwarf bearded catfish ( Microsynodontis ) are a genus of the African bearded catfish . Most species of the genus live in Lower Guinea , some also in the Congo Basin and another ( Microsynodontis polli ) in Guinea and Liberia .

features

Dwarf bearded catfish are three to ten centimeters long and differ from Synodontis by their slimmer and more elongated body, the rounded or spade-shaped caudal fin (forked in Synodontis ) and the free rims of the eyes. Of her three pairs of barbels , the two are feathered on the lower jaw. The dorsal fin is much shorter than the low but very long adipose fin that begins directly behind it . The pelvic fins are short and do not reach the anal fin. The fin spine of the pectoral fin is weak on the outside and strongly serrated on the inside. The teeth in the upper jaw are pointed, those in the lower jaw are hook-shaped. In the upper jaw, the 60 to 120 teeth are arranged in a thick crescent-shaped band. Microsynodontis species are generally dark brown in color and have more or less pronounced vertical, light banding.

species

Fishbase lists twelve species:

Microsynodontis polli

Microsynodontis armatus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis batesii Boulenger, 1903 ( type species )
Microsynodontis christyi Boulenger, 1920
Microsynodontis emarginatus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis hirsutus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis laevigatus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis lamberti Poll & Gosse, 1963
Microsynodontis nannoculus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis nasutus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis notatus Ng, 2004
Microsynodontis polli Lambert, 1958
Microsynodontis vigilis Ng, 2004

literature

Hans-Jochim Franke: Handbook of Welskunde. Urania-Verlag, 1985.
Ng, HH, 2004. The Microsynodontis (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Mochokidae) of the lower Guinea region, west central Africa, with the description of eight new species. Zootaxa 531: 1-52.
Melanie Stiassny, Guy Teugels & Carl D. Hopkins: The Fresh and Brackish Water Fishes of Lower Guinea, West-Central Africa, Volume 1 ISBN 9789074752206

Web links

Commons : Microsynodontis - collection of images, videos and audio files

Zwergfiederbartwelse on Fishbase.org (English)