Synodontis membranacea

Synodontis membranaceus, clearly visible to the general membrane at the posterior border of the maxillary Bartel.

Synodontis membranaceus ( Syn: Hemisynodontis membranaceus ) is a Fiederbartwelsart which occurs in the basin of the Nile, Senegal, Gambia, Niger and Benue, and in the catchment area of Lake Chad.

Features

Synodontis membranaceus is 50 cm long and reaches a maximum weight of 1.5 kg. Its short, stout body distinguishes it from most other Fiederbartwelsen. The short dorsal fin is tapered. Just beyond lies the unusually large dorsal fin, which extends to the caudal peduncle. The shoulder extension is short, triangular and pointed. Characteristic of the style are the membranes provided with maxillary barbels. Only the mandibular barbels are pinnate.

• Fins formula: Dorsal 1/7, Anal 0/5-6/7-9/1, pectoral 1/8-9.

The back is solid brown gray, the sides of the body blue-gray, the abdomen blackish. The fins are gray, the barbels light brown with blackish membranes. While juveniles have a mottling on the body sides and the unpaired fins, adult animals are unspotted.

Way of life

Synodontis membranaceus is nocturnal and lives in deeper water near the ground waters. It feeds on itself, inter alia, crustaceans and molluscs, midge larvae, other insects, plankton and detritus.

System

The species was described in 1809 by French zoologist Etienne Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire as Pimelodus membranaceus, 1863 assigned by the Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker the monotypic genus Hemisynodontis and 2008 as a result of phylogenetic studies of the genus Synodontis. Synodontis membranaceus is closely related to the very similar Synodontis batensoda