What Synodontis am I ?

[fwprawn]

PetCo purchase - never seen one like it before.

 

[njmduff]

I don't know many, but Decorus?

 

[wayne the pain]

http://www.planetcatfish.com/catelog/species.php?species_id=2112

 

[nigaharu]

I don't know many, but Decorus?

+1



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[daleteekz]

Im guessing Decorus maturing?

 

[fwprawn]

Thanks guys! But, gray, not white ? Ever seen that before?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

It most likely has a decorus as one of the parents but it is not a decorus. It's a hybrid. Wayne is right, IMO. Gray, off-white, yellowish, brown, etc. background depends heavily on substrate color and stress levels and does not mean much for this ID at all.

 

[fwprawn]

If the background coloration (which has been the same for a year now, btw) is not an ID'ing characteristic, then how do you know it's not pure decorus? It doesn't matter to me either way - he's great - I'm just curious how you can tell.
Thanks!

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Sure.

The finer decorus characteristics are (on top of the major appearance traits):

-- black stripes not spots in both caudal and dorsal fins
-- extension on the dorsal fin
-- branches on the maxillary barbels (all synos have branched mandibular = chin barbels, only a few have branched maxillary barbels, decorus is one of them)

Decorus is wide spread in Africa and there are various background colorations and spot patternings in existence.

In addition, hybrids have their telling traits, such as a dip behind their heads, wrong proportion of body and fins, etc.

You may find this thread helpful (or perform a search for decorus on Planet Catfish): http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=36165

 

[ecoli73]

Look decorous to me but I am also somewhat blinded by the gravel


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