WRIGHT AND PAGE: Taxonomic revision of Lake Tanganyikan Synodontis


 km
 0 50 100
Figure 28. Known distribution of Synodontis polli. T
denotes type locality.



many different times of the year. One female specimen
has been found to contain approximately 110 eggs
(Matthes 1959).
 Taxonomic Remarks. The taxonomic status of
Synodontis polli has remained fairly stable, except for
the replacement of its original name S. eurystomus
Matthes, a junior homonym of Synodontis eurystomus
Pfeffer, a synonym of Chiloglanis deckenii Peters
(Gosse 1982).
 Specimens from the southern part of this species'
range show significant variation in their color pattern,
with the spots on the body becoming smaller or, in some
cases, disappearing as body size increases. In other
respects, these specimens closely resemble specimens
collected in the northern part of the lake.

 Synodontis tanganaicae Borodin, 1936
 (Figs. 4C, 4D, 29, 30, 31; Tables 1, 13)

Synodontis serratus tanganaicae Borodin, 1936:9, n.
 sp. of S. serratus Riippel, Kasenga, Lake Tanganyika.
Synodontis lacustricolus Poll, 1953:157, fig. 18a, pl. 6,
 fig. 3, description, diet, Lake Tanganyika; 1971:402,
 fig. 188, 189, pl. 6, 12, description.- Matthes, 1962:41,
 pl. 3, fig. a, description. -Coulter, 1965-1966:34, abun-


 dance at different depths, Lake Tanganyika; 1991 a: 152,
 154, 181, 182, table 8.2, 8.3, 8.16, abundance, habitat,
 diet. Brichard, 1978:424, key; 1989:479, key. -
 Sands, 1983, 23, check-list. Daget, Gosse, & Thys
 van den Audenaerde, 1986:131, check-list. Burgess,
 1989:196, check-list. De Vos and Thys van den
 Audenaerde, 1998:147, synonymy with S.
 tanganaicae.
Synodontis tanganyicae. De Vos, L. and Thys van
 den Audenaerde, D., 1998:147.
 Material Examined. Lectotype (De Vos and Thys
van den Audenaerde 1998), MCZ 32538, TL 416 mm,
SL 321 mm, Kasanga, Lake Tanganyika, coll. A.
Loveridge, 1930, (1) paralectotype, MCZ 148517, TL
403.6 mm, SL 322.41 mm, Kasanga, Lake Tanganyika,
coll. A. Loveridge, 1930, (1) holotype, S. lacustricolus,
ISRNB 197, TL 601 mm, SL 503 mm, Stat. 123: near
Karema, depth: about 30 m, coll. Expl. hydrobiol. du lac
Tanganyika, 15.II.1947, (1) paratype, S. lacustricolus,
ISRNB 198, TL 429 mm, SL 352 mm, Tembwe Bay,
Tanganyika district, Belgian Congo, coll. Explor.
hydrobiol. du lac Tanganyika, 13.11.1947, (1) paratype,
S. lacustricolus, ISRNB 199, TL 413 mm, SL 336 mm,
M'Vua Bay, Tanganyika district, Belgian Congo, coll.
Explor. hydrobiol. du Lac Tanganyika, 12.111.1947, (1)
paratype, S. lacustricolus, MRAC 130720, TL 333 mm,
SL 255 mm, Mboko Island, N. Lake Tanganyika, coll.
Marlier (I.R.S.A.C.), 7.11.1957, (1) paratype, S.
lacustricolus, MRAC 90288, paratype (S.
lacustricolus), TL 519 mm, SL 434 mm, Tembwe Bay,
Lake Tanganyika, coll. M. Poll/Expl. Hydrobio.Tang.,
13.II.1947, (1) paratype, S. lacustricolus, MRAC 90289,
TL 582 mm, SL 489 mm, Edith Bay, Lake Tanganyika,
coll. M. Poll/Expl. Hydrobio. Tang., 14-15.II.1947, (1)
MRAC 90279, SL 203.5 mm SL, Albertville, St. 103,
depth 7-10 m, trawl with panels, coll. Miss. D'Explor..
Hydr. L. Tang., 3.11.47, (2) MRAC 96-083-P-003-004,
TL 300-330 mm, SL 240-265 mm, Zambia, coll. De Vos,
1996, (1) paratype, S. lacustricolus, BMNH
1955.12.20.1849, TL 385 mm, SL 315 mm, Opposite Kala,
Lake Tanganyika, Inst. Roy. Nat. Belge, (1) paratype,
S. lacustricolus, BMNH 1955.12.20.1850, TL 361 mm,
SL 291 mm, Tembwe Bay, Lake Tanganyika, Inst. Roy.
Nat. Beige, (1) paratype, S. lacustricolus, BMNH
1955.12.20.1851, Malagarasi, Lake Tanganyika, coll. Inst.
Roy. Nat. Belge, 12.V.1947, (3) BMNH 1936.6.15.1203-
5 (orig. I.D. S. granulosus), TL 400-522 mm, SL 328-
423 mm, Lake Tanganyika, coll. Christy.
 Diagnosis. Axillary pore present; mandibular
teeth 33-49; body with small or no spots; fin spines dark;
8-9 pectoral-fin rays; black triangles on bases of all rayed
fins in juveniles, absent in adults; eye 16.0-26.9% snout