Tropical Fish Hobbyist

the original illustration that Poll used in his 1971 description of S. centralis. Also of great interest are three field photos of live fish identified as S. caudalis on the website of The Congo Project, undertaken by the American Museum of Natural

Synodontis decora.

(maximum TL just under 4 inches) species that will spend a good part of its swimming time in the upside- down position. It somewhat resembles S. nigriventris, but has a boxier body shape and shorter maxillary barbels. The base color is brownish and there are three darker vertical bands on the body. There are also six or seven vertical rows of small white spots on the body. This is a schooling species, and if you can find them, it would be best to keep at least four to six together in a well- planted and/or -decorated tank. Due to their size, they should be considered a primary candidate for potential captive spawning, which has not been accomplished to date.

John O’Malley

S. DECORA BOULENGER 1899

History (AMNH). These pictures can be accessed at http://research.amnh.org/ ichthyology/congo/mochokidLIVE/index. html. As with many other Synodontis, the final chapter on the fishes noted above has yet to be written.

S. CONGICA POLL 1971

In good shipping times, this species was a fairly regular import. It cannot be accused of being overly colorful, as the base body coloration is a silvery gray. There are usually some small dark spots on the head and the fins; in particular, the caudal will show light traces of small spots in rows. On the sides, a varying number of round black spots can usually be seen, although they may be absent on occasion. When there are spots present, it should be noted that they do not necessarily match up on the right and left sides. This species, in some literature, is still confused with both S. nummifer and S. notata. Although the scientific literature lists this species as getting around 8 inches, I have personally never seen any (even long-held aquarium specimens) quite that large. S. congica is, in my experiences, a mild-mannered fish that will fit peacefully into a mellow aquarium. Do not keep it with the tougher, more aggressive Synodontis species.

If the previous species is cute, this one (at least as an adult) is simply stunning. S. decora is a larger Synodontis and can reach at least 13 inches. At the smaller sizes that they are usually imported ( 1 to 4 inches) they show a whitish background, often with a pinkish cast, and a series of three or four oblique black bands on the body. As the fish grows, these bands break up into irregularly placed larger spots. The head is peppered with numerous small black spots and the caudal fin shows black banding on each lobe. The number of these bands tends to increase a bit as the fish grows.

S. CONTRACTA VINCIGUERRA 1928

I generally try to stay away from terms such as the one that follows, but I can’t help myself with this fish. In a word, it is cute! S. contracta is a small

The nicest thing about this fish is the trailer that develops on the dorsal fin. There are individual growth differences in this black dorsal trailer, and it is minimal to non-existent in small juveniles—but as the fish grows, so does the trailer. In medium to larger adults it can reach back beyond the end of the caudal lobes. When the fish is still the trailer will just kind of hang down, but when the fish swims— wow! There are two special considerations for this species: first, although they are more than capable of taking care of themselves, they should not be kept with fishes that might tend to nip at the dorsal trailer. If this is nipped off too close to the origin, there is the possibility that it won’t grow back. Second, go for a long tank and a small group if you like this species. A 6-foot tank with two or three adult S. decora (which form small schools as adults) is a sight to behold. It can make all of the hard work worthwhile.