Mochokiella paynei

(Howes, 1980)

Vernacular names
English : Payne’s dwarf synodontis
French : Synodontis de Payne

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Siluriformes
Family : Mochokidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach nearly 4 cm in length. Elongated striated barbels on sides of mouth, elongated dorsal fin. Coloration mostly brown with beige mottling and small white spots scattered on head and flanks. Fins are translucent with black spots.

Range and habitat
Endemic to Sierra Leone where only found in Kassawe Forest Reserve. Lives in slow moving rivers and swamps, around rocks and aquatic vegetation, also on muddy and sandy bottoms.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a very small range but seems to remain common. It only occurs in a protected area and the species itself is protected by law.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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