BULLETIN FLORIDA MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY VOL. 46(4)


Figure 23. Holotype of Synodontis multipunctatus, BMNH 1898.9.9.76, 280 mm TL, 220 mm SL.


 28 30' 32' Reproduction. Synodontis multipunctatus is the
 only fish species known to exhibit true interspecific brood
 Bur di parasitism (Sato 1986). Eggs are deposited and fertil-
 ized among those of at least six species of mouth-brood-
 ing cichlids (Sato 1986). These eggs are taken up by
 the female cichlid and brooded with the cichlid's own
 eggs. The S. multipunctatus hatch before the cichlids
 SMad arasik- and after absorbing their own yolk sac, devour the cichlid
 eggs and developing fry. It is unknown whether S.
 multipunctatus is an obligate brood parasite, or if alter-
. _-6Tanzania nate spawning behaviors exist.
 Democrtic Republic Taxonomic Remarks.- Synodontis multi-
 of Congo punctatus joins S. granulosus as the only Tanganyikan
 Synodontis for which no other names have been pro-
 posed or mistakenly applied in the literature. Like most
 species of Synodontis in the lake, slight variation in color
 L, Rukwa pattern occurs among localities, but not consistently
 8 L.Mweru" enough to be able to distinguish among populations.
 Wantipa
 LMweru \
 Synodontis petricola Matthes, 1959
 (Figs. 3D, 25, 26; Tables 1, 11)
 28" 30* 32'
 km
 0 so 100 Synodontis petricola Matthes, 1959:78, description,
 Lake Tanganyika; 1962:34, pl. 2, fig. a, description,
Figure 24. Known distribution of Synodontis diet, Lake Tanganyika. Poll, 1971:409, figs. 192,
multipunctatus. T denotes type locality. 193, pls. VI.18, XII.9.- Brichard, 1978:360, 424, pho-