Synodontis afrofischeri, known as Fischer's Victoria squeaker,[2] the marbled Victoria squeaker,[2] Fischer's catfish,[3] or the Victoria synodontis,[4] is a species of upside-down catfish native to Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.[2] It was first described by German zoologist Franz Martin Hilgendorf in 1888, based upon a holotype discovered in Lake Victoria.[4] The specific name "afrofischeri" is in honor of the German researcher Dr. Gustav Fischer, a German explorer of Africa.[4]
The body of the fish is a marbled yellowish brown, although the amount of marbling varies between individuals, with some a uniform brown.[2] The fish has a dark to black band that traverses from the eye to the mouth, and two irregular light vertical bands on either side of the adipose fin.[4] Juveniles have a very similar appearance to juvenile S. fuelleborni juveniles.[4]
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.[4] The first ray of the dorsal fin and the pectoral fins have a hardened first ray which is serrated.[4] The caudal fin is forked.[4] It has short, cone-shaped teeth in the upper jaw.[4] In the lower jaw, the teeth are s-shaped and movable.[4] The fish has one pair of maxillary barbels of varying length, extending far beyond the operculum, and two pairs of mandibular barbels that are often branched.[2][4]
This species grows to a maximum known length of 17.7 centimetres (7.0 in) TL[2][4]
In the wild, the species inhabits tropical waters with a temperature range of 22 to 26 °C (72 to 79 °F), a pH of 6.0 – 8.0, and dH range of 5-25.[2] It is found at depths ranging from 0 to 70 metres (0 to 230 ft), usually 30 metres (98 ft).[2] It is found in Lake Victoria, Lake Nagubago, the Victoria Nile, Lake Kyoga, the Kagera River, Lake Ihema, the Malagarasi River and possibly in the Kingani River.[5]
Synodontis afrofischeri, known as Fischer's Victoria squeaker, the marbled Victoria squeaker, Fischer's catfish, or the Victoria synodontis, is a species of upside-down catfish native to Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It was first described by German zoologist Franz Martin Hilgendorf in 1888, based upon a holotype discovered in Lake Victoria. The specific name "afrofischeri" is in honor of the German researcher Dr. Gustav Fischer, a German explorer of Africa.
