Synodontis ruandae

Synodontis ruandae is a species of upside-down catfish native to Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania where it is found in the Kagera River system.[1] It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959, based upon holotypes discovered in the Kagera River at Rusumo, Rwanda.[2] The specific name "ruandae" is derived from its type locality, Rwanda.

Synodontis ruandae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Mochokidae
Genus: Synodontis
Species:
S. ruandae
Binomial name
Synodontis ruandae
Matthes, 1959

Description

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 first ray of the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated.[2] The caudal fin is deeply forked.[2] It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw.[2] In the lower jaw, the teeth are s-shaped and movable.[2] The fish has one pair of long maxillary barbels, extending far beyond the operculum, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched.[2]

This species grows to a length of 12.8 centimetres (5.0 in) SL although specimens up to 16.2 centimetres (6.4 in) TL have been recorded in the wild.[1][2]

Habitat

In the wild, the species inhabits tropical freshwaters.[1] It is found in shallow waters and vegetation along the edge of the water in the middle and upper Kagera River system.[3] It feeds primarily on insect larvae, and also consumes molluscs.[1][3] Due to a decline in vegetation around the edges of lakes and rivers as a result of agricultural expansion, the species is listed as vulnerable.[3]

References
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2016). "Synodontis ruandae" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
  2. "Synodontis ruandae Matthes, 1959". Planet Catfish. 3 Feb 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  3. Moelants, T. (2010). "Synodontis ruandae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Data related to Synodontis ruandae at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.