Updated 23 May 2024
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African Suckermouth Catfishes
Subfamily CHILOGLANIDINAE Vigliotta 2008
Atopochilus Sauvage 1879 átopos (Gr. ἄτοπος), strange, anomalous or out of place; cheī́los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to unusual oral morphology of A. savorgnani (thick lips that form a large sucking disc)
Atopochilus chabanaudi Pellegrin 1938 in honor of French ichthyologist-herpetologist Paul Chabanaud (1876–1959), Preparator of Fishes, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)
Atopochilus christyi Boulenger 1920 in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863–1932), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype
Atopochilus macrocephalus Boulenger 1906 big-headed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head referring to its longer head compared with A. savorgnani
Atopochilus mandevillei Poll 1959 in honor of J. Th. Mandeville, fisheries agent, government of Leopoldville (now Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo), who collected some of the paratypes
Atopochilus pachychilus Pellegrin 1924 pachýs (Gr. παχύς), thick or stout; chilus, from cheī́los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to its thick lips, which form an oral disc
Atopochilus savorgnani Sauvage 1879 in honor of Italian explorer Pietro Paolo Savorgnan di Brazzà (1852–1905), who explored the Ogooué River of Gabon (type locality); under French colonial rule, the capital of the Republic of the Congo was named Brazzaville after him and retained by post-colonial rulers
Atopochilus vogti Pellegrin 1922 in honor of monsignor Franz Xaver Vogt (1870–1943), German Catholic Missionary, Bagamoyo, German East Africa (now Tanzania), who sent holotype to the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris)
Atopodontus Friel & Vigliotta 2008 átopos (Gr. ἄτοπος), strange, anomalous or out of place; odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to unusual mandibular dentition (mandibular teeth arranged in three or more straight transverse rows)
Atopodontus adriaensi Friel & Vigliotta 2008 in honor of Belgian biologist Dominique Adriaens (b. 1970), University of Ghent, who brought the existence of this species to the authors’ attention
Chiloglanis Peters 1868 cheī́los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to sucking disc formed by the lips, an adaptation to life in strong currents; glánis (Gr. γλάνις), ancient name for a silurid catfish (probably Silurus aristotelis) dating to Aristotle, often used as a general term for catfish
Chiloglanis angolensis Poll 1967 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Angola, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis anoterus Crass 1960 anóteros (Gr. ανώτερος), higher, occurring at higher altitudes than other Natal species of Chiloglanis
Chiloglanis asymetricaudalis De Vos 1993 asymmetrica (L.), asymétrique in French; caudalis (L.), of the tail, referring to its forked asymmetrical caudal fin, the upper lobe longer than the lower
Chiloglanis batesii Boulenger 1904 in honor of George Latimer Bates (1863–1940), Cameroon farmer and ornithologist, who collected specimens for the Natural History Museum (London), including holotype of this species
Chiloglanis benuensis Daget & Stauch 1963 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bénoué at Lakdo, Cameroon, type locality
Chiloglanis bifurcus Jubb & Le Roux 1969 Latin for two-pronged, referring to shape of caudal fin, “forked with large lobes”
Chiloglanis brevibarbis Boulenger 1902 brevis (L.), short; barbis (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to shorter barbels compared to C. deckenii and C. niloticus
Chiloglanis camarabounyi Schmidt & Bart 2017 named for Camara-Bounyi, Guinean village adjacent to type locality; residents generously allowed access to the river, assisted with collecting, and the children provided the common name “Fanye Makonyi,” i.e., “the fish that bites people,” likely referring to its sharp pectoral- and dorsal-fin spines and associated venom
Chiloglanis cameronensis Boulenger 1904 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cameroon, where type locality (Efulen) is situated
Chiloglanis carnatus Mutizwa, Bragança & Chakona 2024 Latin for fleshy, referring to dermal tissue covering dorsal-fin base of some larger specimens, and its general robust body structure compared with its regional congeners
Chiloglanis carnosus Roberts & Stewart 1976 Latin for fleshy, presumably referring to the general appearance of its body
Chiloglanis congicus Boulenger 1920 –icus (L.), belonging to: the Congo Basin (Stanley Falls), type locality
Chiloglanis deckenii Peters 1868 in honor of Karl Klaus von der Decken (1833–1865), German explorer who collected holotype
Chiloglanis devosi Schmidt, Bart & Nyingi 2015 in honor of the late Luc DeVos (1957–2003), Belgian ichthyologist and director of the Ichthyology Section at the National Museums of Kenya, who was instrumental in establishing its collection and building it into a regional and internationally invaluable collection, and who was partly responsible for discovering and recognizing this species and C. kerioensis as distinct
Chiloglanis dialloi Schmidt & Pezold 2017 in honor of Guinean fisheries biologist Samba Diallo, who provided logistical support and assisted in the field during the 2003 and 2013 expeditions; his efforts are largely responsible for the success of the expeditions and the subsequent descriptions of nine new species of Chiloglanis, including this one
Chiloglanis disneyi Trewavas 1974 in honor of British medical entomologist Ronald Henry Lambert Disney (b. 1938), who collected holotype
Chiloglanis elisabethianus Boulenger 1915 –anus (L.), belonging to: Élisabethville (now Lubumbashi), Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality
Chiloglanis emarginatus Jubb & Le Roux 1969 Latin for deprived of its edge, referring to its emarginate (having a notched tip or edge) caudal fin, compared with deeply forked caudal fin of C. bifurcus
Chiloglanis fasciatus Pellegrin 1936 Latin or banded, referring to “traces” of five blackish bands on body
Chiloglanis fortuitus Schmidt, Bragança & Tweddle 2023 Latin for happening by chance, referring to the “fortuitous aspect” of collecting the only known specimen, and its “discovery” in a lot of specimens borrowed by the first author to aid with the description of C. tweddlei in 2017
Chiloglanis frodobagginsi Schmidt, Friel, Bart & Pezold 2023 in honor of another “diminutive traveler,” Frodo Baggins, a character from Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” series, who journeyed ~2897 km in 185 days, referring to how this species (Congo River basin) may have descended from C. micropogon (Niger River drainage), a distance of ~4,800 km, an “incredible journey for such a small and seemingly non-vagile” group of fishes
Chiloglanis harbinger Roberts 1989 Middle English word meaning omen or precursor, referring to large number of teeth Atopochilus and Euchilichthys, a condition presaged or foreshadowed in this species of Chiloglanis
Chiloglanis igamba Friel & Vigliotta 2011 named for Igamba Falls, Lower Malagarasi River, Tanzania, type locality
Chiloglanis kabaensis Schmidt & Friel 2017 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kaba River drainage, Guinea (and likely Sierra Leone), where it is endemic
Chiloglanis kalambo Seegers 1996 named for the upper Kalambo River basin, western Tanzania, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis kazumbei Friel & Vigliotta 2011 in honor of George Kazumbe, an “expert fisherman and friend” from Kigoma, Tanzania, who assisted the authors and several of their colleagues during their fieldwork
Chiloglanis kerioensis Schmidt, Bart & Nyingi 2015 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kerio River, Lake Turkana basin, Kenya, where it is believed to be endemic
Chiloglanis kolente Schmidt & Bart 2017 named for the Kolenté River drainage, Guinea, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis lamottei Daget 1948 in honor of French biologist Maxime Lamotte (1920–2007), who collected holotype
Chiloglanis loffabrevum Schmidt & Pezold 2017 loffa, referring to Loffa River, Guinea, where it is endemic; brevum, unnecessary masculinization of brevis (L.), short, referring to its short pectoral-fin spines
Chiloglanis longibarbis Schmidt & Friel 2017 longus (L.), long; barbis, (scientific Neo-Latin), barbel, referring to its long maxillary and mandibular barbels
Chiloglanis lufirae Poll 1976 of the Lufirae River system, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis lukugae Poll 1944 of Lukuga, mistakenly referring to the Lukuga River drainage, the only outlet of Lake Tanganyika (type locality is Luvua River drainage, which Poll corrected in a later publication)
Chiloglanis macropterus Poll & Stewart 1975 large-finned, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its very large fins (“très grandes nageoires”)
Chiloglanis marlieri Poll 1952 in honor of Belgian zoologist Georges Marlier (1898–1968), director of IRSAC (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale) at Lake Tanganyika, who collected type
Chiloglanis mbozi Seegers 1996 referring to a stream draining the Mbozi block between Mbozi and Tunduma, Tanzania, type locality
Chiloglanis micropogon Poll 1952 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to its short maxillary barbels, about as long as diameter of eye
Chiloglanis microps Matthes 1965 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its “miniscule” eyes
Chiloglanis modjensis Boulenger 1904 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Modjo River, Ethiopia, type locality
Chiloglanis mongoensis Schmidt & Barrientos 2019 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio Mongo, a tributary to the Rio Wele, Equatorial Guinea, where it is presumed to be endemic
Chiloglanis msirii Kashindye, Manda, Friel, Chakona & Vreven 2021 in honor of King Mwenda Msiri Ngelengwa (1830–1891), who founded and ruled the Yeke Kingdom of South-East Katanga, now Democratic Republic of the Congo (where this catfish occurs), from about 1856 to 1891 and was murdered for resisting Belgian colonial rule in his area; name is dedicated “in acknowledgment and in honour of his service and defence of the integrity of his people”
Chiloglanis neumanni Boulenger 1911 in honor of German ornithologist Oskar Neumann (1867–1946), who collected holotype
Chiloglanis niger Roberts 1989 referring to both the Niger River basin of Cameroon, where it is endemic, and the Latin word for dark or black, referring to “uniformly dark, almost black” coloration in life
Chiloglanis niloticus Boulenger 1900 –icus (L.), belonging to: Nile River, referring to Arko Island, Sudan (type locality), an island on the Nile
Chiloglanis normani Pellegrin 1933 in honor of English ichthyologist J. R. (John Roxborough) Norman (1898–1944), British Museum (Natural History), who described the similar C. polyodon in 1932
Chiloglanis nzerekore Schmidt & Pezold 2017 named for the Nzérékoré prefecture in southeastern Guinea, where it occurs
Chiloglanis occidentalis Pellegrin 1933 Latin for western, referring to its westernly distribution compared to congeners known at the time
Chiloglanis orthodontus Friel & Vigliotta 2011 orthós (Gr. ὀρθός), straight or erect; odontus, from odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to its mandibular dentition, which is relatively straight and evenly spread across dentary as compared to most congeners
Chiloglanis paratus Crass 1960 Latin for prepared or equipped, apparently a key word in the family motto of T. G. Fraser (Natal Parks, Game and Fish Preservation Board), “whose enthusiastic efforts have brought in much useful material”
Chiloglanis pezoldi Schmidt & Bart 2017 in honor of Frank Pezold, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, who led 2003 Guinea expeditions that collected this species and others; he initiated Schmidt’s research on fishes from the area and continues to work in the region
Chiloglanis pojeri Poll 1944 in honor of Dr. G. Pojer, a Belgian scientist (no other information available), who collected holotype
Chiloglanis polyodon Norman 1932 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, presumably referring to number of teeth (85–90) in the lower jaw
Chiloglanis polypogon Roberts 1989 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to its 3–5 auxiliary mental barbels on one or both sides of lower lip
Chiloglanis pretoriae van der Horst 1931 of Pretoria District, Transvaal (now Gauteng), South Africa, type locality
Chiloglanis productus Ng & Bailey 2006 Latin for lengthened or prolonged, referring to the longer caudal fin of males
Chiloglanis reticulatus Roberts 1989 Latin for net-like or netted, referring to “reticulum or network” of well-developed tuberculated epidermal ridges on head and body of larger specimens
Chiloglanis rukwaensis Seegers 1996 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Rukwa drainage, Tanzania, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis ruziziensis De Vos 1993 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ruzizi River basin, Lake Tanganyika drainage, eastern Africa, where it is endemic
Chiloglanis sanagaensis Roberts 1989 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sanaga River basin, Cameroon, type locality
Chiloglanis sardinhai Ladiges & Voelker 1961 in honor of the authors’ sponsor and companion, forestry engineer Augusto Manuel Sardinha
Chiloglanis somereni Whitehead 1958 in honor of Vernon Donald van Someren (1915–1962), zoologist and Senior Research Officer, Ministry of Forest Development, Game and Fisheries, Nairobi, Kenya, where Whitehead was affiliated at the time
Chiloglanis swierstrai van der Horst 1931 patronym not identified, probably in honor of Cornelis Jacobus Swierstra (1874–1952), a Dutch-born South African entomologist, who, per Jubb (1967), collected holotype
Chiloglanis trilobatus Seegers 1996 tri– (L.), three; lobatus (L.), lobed, referring to three lobes on caudal fin
Chiloglanis tweddlei Schmidt & Friel 2017 in honor of Denis Tweddle (b. 1949), Honorary Research Associate at South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, who collected most of the type material, for his ongoing contributions to ichthyological research in Africa
Chiloglanis voltae Daget & Stauch 1963 of the Volta River system (Burkina Faso, Ghana), where it occurs (also occurs the upper Bénoué River system in Nigeria and Cameroon)
Chiloglanis waterloti Daget 1954 in honor of Georges Waterlot (1877–1939), who collected specimens for the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) in French West Africa and Madagascar, including holotype of this species
Euchilichthys Boulenger 1900 eū́– (Gr. εὖ), well or very, and chil-, from cheī́los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to their papillate, well-developed lips; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish
Euchilichthys astatodon (Pellegrin 1928) ástatos (Gr. ἄστατος), unstable; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to the variability of its teeth (a combination of uni- and bicuspid teeth)
Euchilichthys boulengeri Nichols & La Monte 1934 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), British Museum (Natural History), who proposed the genus in 1900
Euchilichthys dybowskii (Vaillant 1892) in honor of Jean Dybowski (1856-1928), French–Polish agronomist, naturalist and explorer, who collected holotype
Euchilichthys guentheri (Schilthuis 1891) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of German-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist Albert Günther (1830–1914), British Museum (Natural History)
Euchilichthys royauxi Boulenger 1902 in honor of Capt. Louis-Joseph Royaux (1866–1936), who led expedition during which holotype was collected and supplied indigenous names of the species collected
Squeakers or Upside-down Catfishes
Subfamily MOCHOKINAE Regan 1912
Acanthocleithron Nichols & Griscom 1917 acanthus (L.), from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn; cleithron, from kleī́thron (Gr. κλεῖθρον), cleithrum (main element of dermal shoulder girdle), referring to spinous projection above base of pectoral spine
Acanthocleithron chapini Nichols & Griscom 1917 in honor of American ornithologist James Paul Chapin (1889–1964), joint leader of the Lang-Chapin expedition to the Congo during which holotype was collected
Microsynodontis Boulenger 1903 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, referring to small size of M. batesii (10 cm TL), i.e., a small Synodontis
Microsynodontis armatus Ng 2004 Latin for armed with a weapon, referring to antrorse (distally directed) and retrorse (proximally directed) serrations on anterior edge of pectoral spine, unique to this species
Microsynodontis batesii Boulenger 1903 in honor of George Latimer Bates (1863–1940), Cameroon farmer and ornithologist, who collected specimens for the Natural History Museum (London), including holotype of this species
Microsynodontis christyi Boulenger 1920 in honor of Cuthbert Christy (1863–1932), English physician (specializing in sleeping sickness), zoologist, explorer, and Director of the Congo Museum (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype
Microsynodontis emarginata Ng 2004 Latin for notched at the apex, referring to distinctive emarginate shape of caudal fin
Microsynodontis hirsuta Ng 2004 Latin for hairy, referring to long tubercles on dorsal and lateral surfaces of head, giving it a “somewhat hairy appearance”
Microsynodontis laevigata Ng 2004 Latin for smooth, referring to smooth anterior edge of pectoral spine
Microsynodontis lamberti Poll & Gosse 1963 in honor of Poll’s frequent collaborator, Belgian ichthyologist and botanist Jacques G. Lambert (1923–2013), “well-versed in many genera of African fishes” (translation)
Microsynodontis nannoculus Ng 2004 nánnos (Gr. νάννος), dwarf; oculus (L.), eye, referring to its small eye, the smallest in the genus
Microsynodontis nasutus Ng 2004 Latin or large-nosed, referring to its snout, the longest in the genus
Microsynodontis notata Ng 2004 Latin for marked, referring to dark-brown elongate spots frequently present on body
Microsynodontis polli Lambert 1958 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), Curator, Musée de Congo Belge (Tervuren), whose help and advice guided Lambert in his early ichthyological work
Microsynodontis vigilis Ng 2004 Latin for alert or watchful, referring to its relatively large eyes
Mochokiella Howes 1980 –ella (L.), a diminutive, referring to dwarf size of M. paynei, i.e., a small mochokid
Mochokiella paynei Howes 1980 in honor of fisheries biologist A. Ian Payne, University of Sierra Leone, who collected holotype
Mochokus Joannis 1835 latinization of Mouchchouéké, Arabic name for M. niloticus, roughly translating as “don’t get stung or jabbed by it,” referring to its dangerously sharp spines, which local fishermen try to avoid
Mochokus brevis Boulenger 1906 Latin for short, referring to shorter caudal part of body compared to M. niloticus
Mochokus niloticus Joannis 1835 –icus (L.), belonging to: Nile River near Thebes, Egypt, type locality
Synodontis Cuvier 1816 synodontís (Gr. συνοδοντίς), an “ancient [Greek] name for an undetermined fish from the Nile” (translation), apparently applied by Cuvier, who liked to repurpose ancient names with no apparent taxonomic relevance, to S. clarias; not derived, as often reported, from syn– (Gr. συν), together or joined, and odoús (Gr. ὀδούς), tooth, presumed etymology of the lizardfish genus Synodus (Synodontidae)
Synodontis abditus De Weirdt, Huyghe & Vreven 2021 Latin for hidden, refers to the hitherto “hidden” existence of this species, being both similar to and misidentified as S. haugi in the past, and hence “hidden in collections” for over 20 years
Synodontis acanthomias Boulenger 1899 acantho-, from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn; omias, perhaps from hṓmos (Gr. ὦμος), shoulder or humerus, referring to humeral process armed with spines; name may also refer to S. omias, to which this species had incorrectly been identified
Synodontis acanthoperca Friel & Vigliotta 2006 combination of acantho-, from ákantha (Gr. ἄκανθα), thorn, and opercul, truncation of operculum (L.), cover or lid, referring to distinctive opercular spines developed by mature males (apparently treated by the authors as a feminine adjective; the gender of Synodontis, usually treated as masculine, is treated as feminine by some authors)
Synodontis afrofischeri Hilgendorf 1888 afro-, from Latin Afr-, stem of Afer, African, presumably referring to distribution in east Africa (type locality in Tanzania); fischeri, in honor of Gustav Adolf Fischer (1848–1888), German medical officer and natural history collector, who collected holotype
Synodontis alberti Schilthuis 1891 patronym not identified, presumably in honor of King Albert I of Belgium (1875–1934); described from the Congo, which was a Belgian colony at the time
Synodontis albolineatus Pellegrin 1924 albus (L.), white; lineatus (L.), striped, referring to white midlateral stripe
Synodontis angelicus Schilthuis 1891 Latin for angelic, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its attractive color pattern (dark brown in spirits, with yellow spots over entire body, fins banded with yellow)
Synodontis annectens Boulenger 1911 Latin or linking or joining, presumed to be intermediate in form between S. sorex and S. clarias
Synodontis ansorgii Boulenger 1911 in honor of British explorer and collector William John Ansorge (1850–1913), who collected holotype
Synodontis arnoulti Roman 1966 in honor of French ichthyologist-herpetologist Jacques Arnoult (1914–1995), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), for help and encouragement in the exploration of wildlife in the Republic of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)
Synodontis aterrimus Poll & Roberts 1968 superlative of ater (L.), black, i.e., very black, referring to “noir profound” coloration on lower part of body, an example of inverse pigmentation in which ventral surface is darker than dorsal surface (a countershading adaptation to swimming upside-down at the water’s surface)
Synodontis bastiani Daget 1948 in honor of M. (probably Monsieur) Bastian (no other information available), who collected holotype
Synodontis batensoda Rüppell 1832 from Schal baten soda, local name for this catfish in Cairo, Egypt, meaning “the Schal [Arabic vernacular in Egypt for squeaker catfishes in general] with the black belly”
Synodontis batesii Boulenger 1907 in honor of George Latimer Bates (1863–1940), Cameroon farmer and ornithologist, who collected specimens for the Natural History Museum (London), including holotype of this species
Synodontis brichardi Poll 1959 in honor of Belgian aquarium-fish exporter Pierre Brichard (1921–1990), who discovered this catfish in the rapids near Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Synodontis budgetti Boulenger 1911 in honor of British zoologist John Samuel Budgett (1872–1904), who collected holotype
Synodontis camelopardalis Poll 1971 camelus (L.), camel; pardus (L.), leopard, together forming ancient name of the giraffe (cameleopard), referring to its coloration, which resembles that of a giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis
Synodontis carineae Vreven & Ibala Zamba 2011 in honor of anthropologist Carine Plancke, who worked with the Punu people in the Nyanga area of the Congo Republic (where this species occurs), and who especially like the color yellow (referring to the vivid yellow shine of this species in life)
Synodontis caudalis Boulenger 1899 Latin for of the tail, referring to deeply notched caudal fin, both lobes produced into a long filament
Synodontis caudovittatus Boulenger 1901 cauda (L.), tail; vittatus (L.), banded, referring to black stripe along outer margin of caudal-fin lobes
Synodontis centralis Poll 1971 Latin for central, referring to its distribution in the central Congo basin
Synodontis clarias (Linnaeus 1758) meaning uncertain; name introduced by Hasselquist (1757, later made available by Linnaeus), who, per Valenciennes (1840), may have selected clarias as the name for this Nile catfish because Belon (1553) used a similar name “Claria nilotica” for a different catfish from the Nile, now known as the clariid Clarias anguillaris (Clariidae); an alternative explanation is that clarias is derived from clarus (L.), which usually means bright or clear but can also mean loud or clangorous, referring to the ability of this “squeaker” catfish to make stridulatory sounds through its pectoral fins when handled or disturbed (although Hasselquist did not mention this seemingly noteworthy attribute in his description)
Synodontis comoensis Daget & Lévêque 1981 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Comoé River, National Park of Comoé, Ivory Coast, type locality
Synodontis congicus Poll 1971 –icus (L.), belonging to: Congo River basin south to Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it occurs
Synodontis contractus Vinciguerra 1928 Latin for drawn together (i.e., compressed), referring to its elevated profile, which creates the appearance that its body has been compressed from both ends towards the middle
Synodontis courteti Pellegrin 1906 in honor of French soldier Henri Courtet (1858–1912), member of 1902–1903 French expedition to the region between Ubangi River and Lake Chad, during which holotype was collected
Synodontis cuangoanus Poll 1971 –anus (L.), belonging to: Cuango, Cafunfo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality
Synodontis decorus Boulenger 1899 Latin for beautiful, referring to its attractive spotted color pattern
Synodontis dekimpei Paugy 1987 in honor of Paul De Kimpe (b. 1927), Fisheries Officer at Cotonou (Dahomey, now Republic of Benin), who collected fishes for the Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale (Tervuren), including holotype of this one
Synodontis denticulatus Kasongo Ilunga, Abwe, Decru, Chocha Manda & Vreven 2019 –atus (L.), adjective suffix; denticulus (L.) small tooth, i.e., small-toothed, referring to well-marked and quite numerous denticles on posterior margin of dorsal-fin spine
Synodontis depauwi Boulenger 1899 in honor of Louis De Pauw (1876– 1943), taxidermist and curator of collections, l’Université libre de Bruxelles, who installed an exhibition of Congo fishes there in 1897
Synodontis dhonti Boulenger 1917 in honor of G. Dhont-De Bie, Belgian East African Expeditionary Force, member of Louis Stappers’ expedition to Lakes Tanganyika, where he collected holotype
Synodontis dorsomaculatus Poll 1971 dorso-, from dorsalis (L.), of the back; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark round spots on dorsal surface (which grow diffuse with age)
Synodontis eupterus Boulenger 1901 eū́– (Gr. εὖ), well or very; pterus, from pterónc(Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to the “extraordinary development” of its dorsal fin, “remarkable for its great depth”
Synodontis fascipinna Nichols & La Monte 1953 fascia (L.), band; pinna (L.), fin, referring to caudal and anal fins, “conspicuously banded with blackish”
Synodontis filamentosus Boulenger 1901 Latin for filamentous, referring to “filamentous prolongation” of dorsal fin
Synodontis flavitaeniatus Boulenger 1919 flavus (L.), yellow; taeniatus (L.), banded, referring to two yellow stripes on sides of head and body
Synodontis frontosus Vaillant 1895 Latin for many-browed or with a large forehead, allusion not explained, presumably referring length of cephalo-nuchal shield being nearly equal to its width [may be a junior synonym of S. schall]
Synodontis fuelleborni Hilgendorf & Pappenheim 1903 in honor of German physician and parasitologist Friedrich Fülleborn (1866–1933), who collected holotype during his travels as a doctor with the German Army in East Africa
Synodontis gambiensis Günther 1864 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gambia, type locality [treated as a junior synonym of S. schall by some workers]
Synodontis geledensis Günther 1896 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Geledi (also spelled Gualidi and Jilledy), Somalia, type locality
Synodontis gobroni Daget 1954 in honor of M. (probably Monsieur) Gobron, a volunteer at Laboratoire de Diafarabé (Mail), who collected holotype (no other information is available)
Synodontis grandiops Wright & Page 2006 grandis (L.), large or big; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to increased size of eye, particularly in relation to snout length
Synodontis granulosus Boulenger 1900 granum (L.), seed or grain; –osus (L.), suffix connoting fullness, referring to body covered with granular papillae
Synodontis greshoffi Schilthuis 1891 in honor of Anton Greshoff (1856–1905), Dutch trader and collector, who presented several species from the Congo to the Zoological Museum of Utrecht University, including holotype of this one
Synodontis guttatus Günther 1865 Latin or dappled, speckled or spotted, referring to numerous brown spots on body, small and rounded on adipose fin and “hinder parts” of tail
Synodontis haugi Pellegrin 1906 in honor of French Protestant missionary Ernest Haug (1817–1915), a correspondent of Múseum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris); he collected fishes from the Ogowe River of Gabon, including this one, recording their local names in three different languages
Synodontis ilebrevis Wright & Page 2006 ile, from ilia (L.), the abdomen below the ribs (groin, flanks), but used by anatomists for the intestines; brevis (L.) short, referring to its relatively short gut
Synodontis irsacae Matthes 1959 of I.R.S.A.C. (Institut pour la Recherche Scientifique en Afrique Centrale), where Matthes worked
Synodontis iturii Steindachner 1911 of the Ituri River, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality
Synodontis katangae Poll 1971 of Katanga, a province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality
Synodontis khartoumensis Abu Gideiri 1967 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Khartoum, Sudan, near type locality in the Blue Nile
Synodontis koensis Pellegrin 1933 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ko River, Man, Ivory Coast, type locality
Synodontis kogonensis Musschoot & Lalèyè 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Kogon River, Guinea, type locality
Synodontis laessoei Norman 1923 in honor of Maj. Harold Henry Alexander de Laessoe (d. 1948), British soldier, explorer and administrator in Africa, who helped collect holotype
Synodontis leopardinus Pellegrin 1914 Latin for leopard-like, referring to small black spots on a yellowish body
Synodontis leopardus Pfeffer 1896 Latin for leopard, referring to dark-brown spots on brown body
Synodontis levequei Paugy 1987 in honor of French ichthyologist-hydrobiologist Christian Lévêque, ORSTOM (Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique d’Outre-Mer), who collected holotype
Synodontis longirostris Boulenger 1902 longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its obtusely pointed snout, twice as long as postocular part of head
Synodontis longispinis Pellegrin 1930 longus (L.), long; spinis, from spinus (L.), thorn, described as a variety of S. batesii with a longer dorsal-fin spine
Synodontis lucipinnis Wright & Page 2006 luci-, from lucida (L.), bright or clear; pinnis, scientific Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to light patches at base of black triangles on rayed fins
Synodontis lufirae Poll 1971 of the Lufira River, Congo River basin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, type locality
Synodontis macrophthalmus Poll 1971 big-eyed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its very large eyes compared with congeners in the Congo
Synodontis macrops Greenwood 1963 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to larger eye compared with the similar S. schall
Synodontis macropunctatus Wright & Page 2008 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to large, discrete, widely spaced dark spots on skin
Synodontis macrostigma Boulenger 1911 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to large round or oval blackish spots on back and sides
Synodontis macrostoma Skelton & White 1990 makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to its distinctive large mouth
Synodontis manni De Vos 2001 in honor of Michael (“Mike”) J. Mann, former FAO Fisheries Officer, who first reported the presence of this species in the Tana River (Kenya) in 1968
Synodontis marmoratus Lönnberg 1895 Latin for marbled, referring to blackish-brown coloration, marbled with white, and white fins, marbled with black
Synodontis matthesi Poll 1971 in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Hubert Matthes, Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale (Tervuren, Belgium), who collected holotype
Synodontis melanopterus Boulenger 1903 black-finned, from mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its black fins, “with some light cross-bands in the young”
Synodontis melanostictus Boulenger 1906 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and stiktós (Gr. στικτός), spotted, referring to small black-brown spots on body
Synodontis membranaceus (Geoffroy St. Hilaire 1809) Latin for of skin or membrane, referring to membranes on maxillary and mandibular barbels
Synodontis multimaculatus Boulenger 1902 multi– (L.), many; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark round spots on body, larger spots on dorsal fin, and smaller spots on ventral, anal and caudal fins
Synodontis multipunctatus Boulenger 1898 multi– (L.), many; punctatus (L.), spotted, referring to roundish dark-brown spots on body
Synodontis nebulosus Peters 1852 Latin for dark or cloudy, referring to black spots on body and fins, merging together on upper part of body
Synodontis ngouniensis De Weirdt, Vreven & Fermon 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ngounié River basin, Gabon, type locality
Synodontis nigrita Valenciennes 1840 Latin name for Niger, ancient name of Senegal, type locality
Synodontis nigriventris David 1936 nigri, from niger, black or dark; ventris (L.), genitive of venter, belly, referring to dark belly (instead of the usual lighter belly), a countershading adaptation to swimming upside-down at the water’s surface
Synodontis nigromaculatus Boulenger 1905 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; maculatus (L.), spotted, “covered all over with round black spots, some of which, on the posterior part of the body, are confluent”
Synodontis njassae Keilhack 1908 of Lake Nyasa (called Njassasee by European colonial rulers), Tanzanian name (meaning “great water”) for Lake Malawi, where it is endemic
Synodontis notatus Vaillant 1893 Latin for marked, referring to 1–4 blackish spots on sides
Synodontis nummifer Boulenger 1899 nummus (L.), coin; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to 1–2 rounded (i.e., coin-like) black spots on the sides
Synodontis obesus Boulenger 1898 Latin for fat, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its less-elongate body shape compared with S. serratus, with which it had been misidentified
Synodontis ocellifer Boulenger 1900 ocellus, diminutive of oculus (L.), eye (but here meaning eyespot); –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to “large black-and-white ocellar spots disposed with greater or less regularity at considerable intervals”
Synodontis omias Günther 1864 etymology not explained, perhaps from hṓmos (Gr. ὦμος), shoulder or humerus, referring to humeral process “armed with a series of three or four compressed, triangular spinous processos [sic], running along the lower margin of the bone, the last being placed at its extremity”
Synodontis orientalis Seegers 2008 Latin for eastern, referring to its distribution in eastern Africa
Synodontis ornatipinnis Boulenger 1899 ornatus (L.), decorated; pinnis, scientific Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to yellow rayed fins (except pectoral), with black spots confluent into transverse bands; on the tail, these bands form crescents inverse to the shape of the fin
Synodontis ornatissimus Gosse 1982 Latin or very ornate or decorated, referring to its “striking” coloration (translation), with many black spots on body and dorsal fin and black bands on tail [replacement name for S. ornatus Boulenger 1920, preoccupied by S. ornatus Pappenheim 1914]
Synodontis ouemeensis Musschoot & Lalèyè 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Oueme River, Benin, type locality
Synodontis pardalis Boulenger 1908 Latin for like a leopard, referring to large, leopard-like dark-brown spots on body
Synodontis petricola Matthes 1959 pétra (Gr. πέτρα), rock or stone; –cola (L.), dweller or inhabitant, living among the rocks and boulders of Lake Tanganyika
Synodontis pleurops Boulenger 1897 pleuro-, from pleurá (Gr. πλευρά), side; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to laterally placed eyes, “visible from above as well as from below”
Synodontis polli Gosse 1982 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), for his revision of the genus [replacement name for S. eurystomus Matthes 1959, preoccupied by S. eurystomus Pfeffer 1889]
Synodontis polyodon Vaillant 1895 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to greater number of mandibular teeth (~75) compared with S. schall (~25)
Synodontis polystigma Boulenger 1915 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to numerous black spots on body and fins
Synodontis pulcher Poll 1971 Latin for beautiful, described as a pretty species (“une jolie espèce”)
Synodontis punctifer Daget 1965 punctum (L.), spot; –ifer, from fero-, (L.), to carry or bear, referring to black spots irregularly scattered on sides and belly
Synodontis punctulatus Günther 1889 diminutive of punctum (L.), spot, i.e., having tiny spots, referring to numerous, very small brown dots on head, body and adipose fin
Synodontis punu Vreven & Milondo 2009 named for the Punu people living in the areas of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo where this catfish occurs, for their help during collecting and their “spontaneous” hospitality
Synodontis rebeli Holly 1926 patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of Austrian entomologist Hans Rebel (1861–1940), first director of the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, where types are deposited
Synodontis resupinata Boulenger 1904 Latin for turned back (i.e., inverted or reversed), probably referring to reversed countershading, the lower half darker than the upper, an adaptation to swimming upside-down at the water’s surface
Synodontis ricardoae Seegers 1996 in honor of Cicely Kate Ricardo (later Ricardo-Bertram, 1912–1999), who, together with Ms. R. J. Owen, collected in the Lake Rukwa drainage (where this species occurs) and co-authored several important papers on the fishes of East and Central Africa
Synodontis robbianus Smith 1875 –anus (L.), belonging to: Rev. Alexander Robb (1824–1901), Scottish Presbyterian missionary, who provided specimens from the “Old Calavar district of tropical Africa,” including holotype of this one
Synodontis robertsi Poll 1974 in honor of American ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (b. 1940), who helped collect holotype during a National Geographic Society expedition to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in 1973
Synodontis ruandae Matthes 1959 of Rwanda, where type locality (Kagera at Rusumu) is situated
Synodontis rufigiensis Bailey 1968 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rufiji River, Tanzania, type locality
Synodontis rukwaensis Hilgendorf & Pappenheim 1903 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Rukwa, Tanzania, type locality
Synodontis schall (Bloch & Schneider 1801) Schal, Arabic vernacular for squeaker catfishes in Egypt
Synodontis schoutedeni David 1936 in honor of Belgian zoologist Henri Schouteden (1881–1972), who collected many new species in the Belgian Congo, including this one
Synodontis serpentis Whitehead 1962 genitive singular of serpens (L.), snake, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to marbled pattern on caudal peduncle of juveniles, which resembles the marbled pattern seen on many constrictors
Synodontis serratus Rüppell 1829 Latin for toothed like a saw, referring to anteriorly serrated dorsal-fin spine
Synodontis smiti Boulenger 1902 in honor of Pierre Jacques Smit (1863– 1960), who illustrated the plates in Boulenger’s work
Synodontis soloni Boulenger 1899 in memory of Alexandre Solon, a young traveler who died in Congo after helping Capt. Capra (no other information available) collect fishes
Synodontis sorex Günther 1864 Latin for shrew or shrew-mouse, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its pointed snout and/or long, slender teeth
Synodontis steindachneri Boulenger 1913 in honor of Austrian ichthyologist Franz Steindachner (1834–1919), for contributions to the knowledge of the fishes of Cameroon (where this species is endemic to the Nyong River)
Synodontis tanganyicae Borodin 1936 of Lake Tanganyika, where it is endemic (originally spelled tanganaicae; emended spelling is in prevailing usage)
Synodontis tessmanni Pappenheim 1911 in honor of German explorer, ethnographer and plant collector Günter Tessmann (1884–1969), who collected holotype
Synodontis thamalakanensis Fowler 1935 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Thamalakane River at Maun, Botswana, type locality
Synodontis thysi Poll 1971 in honor of Poll’s Musée de l’Afrique Centrale colleague, Belgian ichthyologist Dirk Thys van den Audenaerde (b. 1934), who collected holotype
Synodontis tourei Daget 1962 in honor of Moussa Touré, forestry inspector in Mamou, a city in the Fouta Djallon area of Guinea, where this catfish occurs
Synodontis unicolor Boulenger 1915 uni-, from unus (L.), one, referring to uniform dark-brown coloration on body and fins
Synodontis vanderwaali Skelton & White 1990 in honor of zoologist Ben Van der Waal, University of Venda (South Africa), who collected holotype, for his donations of fishes from northern Namibian rivers to the J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology and the Albany Museum
Synodontis velifer Norman 1935 velum (L.), sail; –ifer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to prolonged first and second soft rays of dorsal fin
Synodontis vermiculatus Daget 1954 Latin for vermiculate (with wavy lines and marks), referring to small black vermiculations on a completely yellow body
Synodontis victoriae Boulenger 1906 of Lake Victoria in Uganda, type locality
Synodontis violaceus Pellegrin 1919 Latin for violet-colored, referring to its general violet body coloration
Synodontis voltae Roman 1975 of the upper Volta River basin, western Africa, where it is endemic
Synodontis waterloti Daget 1962 in honor of Georges Waterlot (1877–1939), who collected specimens for the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) in French West Africa and Madagascar, including holotype of this catfish
Synodontis woleuensis Friel & Sullivan 2008 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Woleu River, Gabon, type locality
Synodontis woosnami Boulenger 1911 in honor of Richard Bowen Woosnam (1880–1915), British soldier, traveler, naturalist, and game warden of the British East African Protectorate, who collected holotype
Synodontis xiphias Günther 1864 xiphías (Gr. ξιφίας), swordfish, referring to remarkably prolonged snout of stuffed and mounted type specimen (later discovered through X-ray photography to be skin stretched over a protruding wire)
Synodontis zambezensis Peters 1852 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Zambezi River, Mozambique, type locality
Synodontis zanzibaricus Peters 1868 –icus (L.), belonging to: Zanzibar, a possible misnomer since the catfish does not occur there; perhaps name refers to general vicinity of type locality (Mombassa, Kenya) to the Zanzibar Archipelago