''Synodontis geledensis'', known as the Geledi squeaker, is a species of

upside-down catfish The name upside-down catfish is most commonly used by aquarists to refer to the mochokid catfish '' Synodontis nigriventris'' alternately known to ichthyologists as the blotched upside-down catfish or false upside-down catfish. However, a number ...

that is native to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

and

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

where it can be found in the

Lorian Swamp The Lorian Swamp is an area of wetlands on the Ewaso Ngiro river in Wajir South, Kenya. The swampy zone is long and has a greatest width of , covering an area of . Apart from the Ewaso Ngiro river, the swamp is also fed by wadis from the south ...

, the

Shebelle The Shebelle River ( so, Webi Shabeelle, ar, نهر شبيلي, am, እደላ) begins in the highlands of Ethiopia, and then flows southeast into Somalia towards Mogadishu. Near Mogadishu, it turns sharply southwest, where it follows the coast. ...

and

Ewaso Ng'iro Ewaso Ng'iro, also called Ewaso Nyiro, is a river in Kenya which rises on the west side of Mount Kenya and flows north then east and finally south-east, passing through Somalia where it joins the Jubba River. The river's name is derived from t ...

rivers. It was first described by German zoologist

Albert Günther Albert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther (3 October 1830 – 1 February 1914), was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. Günther is ranked the second-most productive re ...

in 1896, from specimens obtained near Geledi, on the Shebeli River in east Africa. The species name ''geledensis'' comes from Geledi, Somalia, the location where the first specimens were first found.

Description

Like all members of the genus ''Synodontis'', ''S. geledensis'' has a strong, bony head capsule that extends back as far as the first spine of the dorsal fin. The head contains a distinct narrow, bony, external protrusion called a humeral process. The shape and size of the humeral process helps to identify the species. In ''S. geledensis'', the humeral process is rough, much longer than it is broad, and pointed at the end. The fish has three pairs of barbels. The maxillary barbels are on located on the upper jaw, and two pairs of mandibular barbels are on the lower jaw. The maxillary barbel is straight without any branches, with a broad membrane at the base. It extends about the length of the head. The outer pair of mandibular barbels is about twice as long as the inner pair, have long, slender branches with secondary branches. The front edges of the dorsal fins and the pectoral fins of ''Syntontis'' species are hardened into stiff spines. In ''S. geledensis'', the spine is as long as the head, nearly straight, serrated in the front and smooth on the back. The remaining portion of the dorsal fin is made up of seven branching rays. The spine of the pectoral fin is as long as the head, and serrated on both sides. The adipose fin is 4 times as long as it is deep. The anal fin contains four unbranched and eight branched rays, and is obtusely pointed in front. The tail, or caudal fin, is deeply forked. All members of ''Syndontis'' have a structure called a premaxillary toothpad, which is located on the very front of the upper jaw of the mouth. This structure contains several rows of short, chisel-shaped teeth. In ''S. geledensis'', the toothpad forms a short, broad band. On the lower jaw, or mandible, the teeth of ''Syndontis'' are attached to flexible, stalk-like structures and described as "s-shaped" or "hooked". The number of teeth on the mandible is used to differentiate between species; in ''S. geledensis'', there are about 18 teeth on the mandible. The color of the fish is brownish on the back and sides, and whitish on the underside. The maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of the species is . Generally, females in the genus ''Synodontis'' tend to be slightly larger than males of the same age.

Habitat and behavior

In the wild, the species is known in Kenya and Ethiopia, and it is thought to have a greater range. The species is harvested for human consumption. Its habitat is threatened by dam building and water depletion for irrigation. The reproductive habits of most of the species of ''Synodontis'' are not known, beyond some instances of obtaining egg counts from gravid females. Spawning likely occurs during the flooding season between July and October, and pairs swim in unison during spawning. The growth rate is rapid in the first year, then slows down as the fish age.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3763195 geledensis Catfish of Africa Fish of Ethiopia Freshwater fish of Kenya Fish of Somalia Fish described in 1896 Taxa named by Albert Günther