WRIGHT AND PAGE: Taxonomic revision of Lake Tanganyikan Synodontis


 1978:357, 424, photos, key. Gosse, J.P., 1982:48,
 junior homonym of S. eurystomus Pfeffer, replaced
 with S. polli nom. nov. Sands, 1983:23, 79, check-
 list, photo. Kobayagawa, 1989:14, photo
 (misidentified).- Coulter, 1991a:181, 182, table 8.16,
 habitat, diet, reproduction.
Synodontis polli Gosse, 1982:48, nom. nov. Daget,
 Gosse, & Thys van den Audenaerde, 1986:141, check-
 list. Brichard, 1989:474, 475, 478, 479, 483, skin
 texture, photos (some misidentifications). Burgess,
 196, 556, 559, 560, 576, checklist, photos (some
 misidentifications).
 Material Examined. Holotype, MRAC 130440,
TL 148 mm, SL 125 mm, Luhanga, N. Lake Tanganyika,
coll. H. Matthes, 3.IV.1959, (3) paratypes, MRAC
130444-446, TL 97-144 mm, SL 79-120 mm, Makobola,
Lake Tanganyika, coll. H. Matthes (I.R.S.A.C.),
10.XI.1958, (2) paratypes, MRAC 130442-443, TL48-
58 mm, SL 38-47 mm, Luhanga, N. Lake Tanganyika,
coll. H. Matthes (I.R.S.A.C.), 31 .VIII. 1950, (1) paratype,
MRAC 130464, TL 115 mm, SL 96 mm, Bemba, Lake
Tanganyika, coll. H. Matthes (I.R.S.A.C), 26.IV.1958,
(2) paratype, MRAC 130452-453, TL 57-60 mm, SL 46-
48 mm, Makobola, Lake Tanganyika, coll. H. Matthes
(I.R.S.A.C.), 28.VI.1960, (2) paratypes, MRAC 130462-
463, TL 69-85 mm, SL 56-70 mm, Kashkezi, Lake
Tanganyika, coll. H. Matthes (I.R.S.A.C.), 5.11.1959,
(6) paratypes, MRAC 130454-461, TL 39-116 mm, SL
31-96 mm, Makobola, coll. H. Matthes (I.R.S.A.C.),
8.XI.1960, (2) MRAC 131007-131008, TL 137-144 mm,
SL 112-116 mm, Kalungwe, Lake Tanganyika, coll. G.
Leleup, 13.VII. 1961, (2) MRAC 96-031 -P-0889-0890,
TL 117-148 mm, SL 94-123 mm, Luhanga, km 16-17, S.
of Uvira-Ubwa, Lake Tanganyika, coll. L. De Vos,
8.III.1994, (5) MRAC A3-033-P-0076-0080, TL 115-
160 mm, SL 95-132 mm, Luhanga, km 16 S. of Uvira-
Ubwari, Lake Tanganyika (Zaire), coll. M'boko,
28.VII.1995, (1) MRAC A3-033-P-0075, TL 121 mm,
SL 103 mm, Pemba, S. of Uvira, Lake Tanganyika
(Zaire), coll. L. De Vos, 4.XI.1995, (1) MRAC 75-1-P-
117, TL 101 mm, SL 84 mm, 8 km S. of Bujumbura,
Lake Tanganyika, coll. P. Brichard, VII. 1974, (1) MRAC
A3-033-P-0082, TL 146 mm, SL 120 mm, Magara, route
Bujumbura-Lake Nyanza (Burundi), coll. L. De Vos,
14.VII.1995, (1) MRAC, A4-044-P-0007, TL 120 mm,
SL 97 mm, Jakobsen's Beach, aka Mwamahunga, Lake
Tanganyika, 0457.87'S, 29'35.86'E (Tanzania), coll. G.
Kazumbe, 7.VI.2004, (2) MRAC 77-40-P-5-7, TL 88-
99 mm, SL 70-82 mm, Chipimbi, cote Sud-Ouest du Lac
Tanganyika (Zambia); coll. P. Brichard, 6.VII.1977, (1)
MRAC 78-25-P-17-18, TL 89 mm, SL 73 mm, Cap
Kachese, S. Lake Tanganyika (Zambia); coll. P.


Brichard, (6) MRAC 95-096-P-2561-2575, TL 85-108
mm, SL 71-90 mm, Kasenga Point, lake Tanganyika,
0843'31"S, 31 008'01"E [Zambia]; coll. Exp. Tanganyika
95, 4.IV. 1995, (5) MRAC 95-096-P2576-2585, TL 90-
116 mm, SL 74-98 mm, Chisiki, 08020'24"S, 3031 '2 1"E
[Zambia]; coll. Exp. Tanganyika 95, 10.IV.1995, (7)
MRAC 95-096-P-2586-2608, TL 88-125 mm, SL 70-
104 mm, Cape Kachese, lake Tanganyika, 08029'22"S,
30028'32"E [Zambia], coll. Exp. Tanganyika 95,
10.IV. 1995, (1) MRAC 95-096-P-2609, TL 135 mm, SL
112 mm, Kasaba Bay, lake Tanganyika, 0830'57"S,
30038'52"E [Zambia]; coll. Exp. Tanganyika 95,
11 .IV. 1995, (4) MRAC 95-096-P-2610-2613, TL 83-106
mm, SL 69-89 mm, Kala Bay, lake Tanganyika,
08008'47"S, 30058' 14"E [Zambia]; coll. Exp. Tanganyika
95, 19.IV.1995, (1) MRAC 95-096-P-2627, TL 108 mm,
SL 87 mm, Chikulina Bay, lake Tanganyika, 08032'41"S,
3043'36"E [Zambia]; coll. Exp. Tanganyika 95,
12.IV.1995, (1) BMNH 2005.9.26.17-18, TL 120 mm,
SL 98 mm, Mpulungu, Zambia, Lake Tanganyika, coll.
J. Day, 2005, (3) SAIAB 40171, TL 980114 mm, SL 81-
94 mm, Zambia, Lake Tanganyika; Musende Rocks,
08046'00"S, 03106'00"E, 05.VIII.1992, (1) SAIAB
42518, TL 105 mm, SL 87 mm, Zambia, Lake
Tanganyika; Musende Rocks, 08o46'00"S, 031007'00"E,
10.X. 1992, (2) SAIAB 56262, TL 122-150 mm, SL 100-
127 mm, Tanzania; Jacobsen's Beach, 0454'31"S,
029036'02"E, 10.X.1997, (1) SAIAB 76167, TL 117 mm,
SL 100 mm, Zambia, Mbala, Lake Tanganyika, Lake
Tanganyika; Mbita Island (northwest end), 08o45.18'S,
031005.07'E, 29.II.2004, (1) CU 88758, TL 180 mm, SL
145 mm, Tanzania; Kigoma; Jacobsen's Beach, coll. P.B.
McIntyre, 18.VII.2002.
 Diagnosis. -Axillary pore absent; mandibular teeth
40-70; body with large spots; fin spines dark; 8-9 pecto-
ral-fin rays; black triangles on bases of all rayed fins;
eye 25.8-39.3% snout length; premaxillary toothpad in-
terrupted; secondary branches on medial mandibular
barbel present; occipito-nuchal shield covered with skin;
villous papillae present on skin of body; long gut; well
developed hindgut chamber; body depth 20.2-27.0% SL;
maximum TL 180 mm.
 The lack of an axillary pore immediately distin-
guishes Synodontis polli from S. dhonti, S. grandiops,
S. granulosus, S. multipunctatus, S. petricola, and S.
tanganaicae. Additionally, S. polli generally has a
greater number of mandibular teeth than all other
Tanganyikan species (except S. ilebrevis), though some
overlap does occur (40-70 in S. polli vs. 22 in S. dhonti,
17-26 in S. grandiops, 28-51 in S. granulosus, 15-29 in
S. irsacae, 35-51 in S. lucipinnis, 13-29 in S.
multipunctatus, 23-36 in S. melanostictus, 31-50 in S.