Taxonomy & naming
Synodontis velifer Norman, 1935 is the valid name in the Catalog of Fishes, described from Ejura in Ghana. The epithet is Latin for 'sail-bearing', which fits a tall, sail-like dorsal fin.
Morphology
Like other squeakers, it has a broad head, three pairs of barbels (an unbranched maxillary pair and two branched mandibular pairs), an adipose fin and a stout, serrated, lockable spine at the front of the dorsal and each pectoral fin. The skin is scaleless. The spines tangle in nets and can pierce skin, and rubbing the pectoral spine against the girdle makes the audible squeak that gives the group its name. FishBase gives a maximum of 7.5 in SL, and cites a second source with a largest specimen of 9.5 in TL.
Habitat
FishBase gives its range as the Sassandra and Bandama basins in Côte d'Ivoire, the Pra in Ghana, and the Volta basin in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo. A report from the middle Niger in Nigeria needs further checking. The type locality is Ejura in Ghana, in the Volta system.
Feeding
Synodontis are opportunistic omnivores that forage mostly at night, taking insect larvae, small crustaceans, molluscs, detritus and plant material. Diet specifics for this species have not been described. In the aquarium the genus takes sinking pellets, wafers and frozen foods readily, best offered after lights-out.
Mating
FishBase says it is oviparous with distinct pairing during breeding. Where Synodontis have been studied, spawning is a pair or group event in sheltered sites, with eggs left unguarded or only loosely guarded.
Breeding
FishBase lists it as oviparous with distinct pairing. Breeding in aquaria has not been recorded; most Synodontis are not bred routinely by hobbyists, and commercially available fish are generally wild-caught.
In the aquarium
Keep it in a roomy tank with caves, wood or rock stacks to retire to by day, a fine substrate, and tankmates too large to be eaten and robust enough to ignore the spines. Net with a container, not a mesh net, to avoid tangling. Medicate cautiously, as scaleless skin is sensitive. FishBase gives no temperature, pH or hardness range for this species.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed it as Least Concern in 2019, meaning it is not considered at risk of extinction at present. Wild-caught fish enter the trade, but the effect on wild populations has not been described.