Synodontis ruandae

Species of fish

Synodontis ruandae

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Siluriformes
Family:  | Mochokidae
Genus:  | Synodontis
Species:  |

S. ruandae

Binomial name
Synodontis ruandae

Matthes, 1959

Synodontis ruandae is a species of upside-down catfish native to Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania where it is found in the Kagera River system.[2] It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959, based upon holotypes discovered in the Kagera River at Rusumo, Rwanda.[3] The specific name "ruandae" is derived from its type locality, Rwanda.

## Description[edit]

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.[3] The first ray of the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated.[3] The caudal fin is deeply forked.[3] It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw.[3] In the lower jaw, the teeth are s-shaped and movable.[3] The fish has one pair of long maxillary barbels, extending far beyond the operculum, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched.[3]

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.[2][3]

## Habitat[edit]

In the wild, the species inhabits tropical freshwaters.[2] It is found in shallow waters and vegetation along the edge of the water in the middle and upper Kagera River system.[4] It feeds primarily on insect larvae, and also consumes molluscs.[2][4] 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.[4]

## References[edit]

1. ^ FishBase team RMCA.; Geelhand, D. (2016). "Synodontis ruandae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T60820A47216994. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T60820A47216994.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. ^ a b c d Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Synodontis ruandae" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Synodontis ruandae Matthes, 1959". Planet Catfish. 3 Feb 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
4. ^ a b c Moelants, T. (2010). "Synodontis notatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T182728A7952843. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T182728A7952843.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

## External links[edit]

Data related to Synodontis ruandae at Wikispecies

Taxon identifiers|

* Wikidata: Q3317504
* Wikispecies: Synodontis ruandae
* CoL: 53XRP
* EoL: 218013
* FishBase: 9617
* GBIF: 2344501
* iNaturalist: 113672
* IRMNG: 10152128
* ITIS: 681663
* IUCN: 60820
* Plazi: B98F923E-CBB5-4C2D-DCBB-72D79C7CA5F0
* WoRMS: 1013844
* ZooBank: F128BEB1-D201-446E-A9F1-761BC334F314

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