Taxonomy & naming
Described by Jacques Daget in 1962, with the type locality at Friguiagbe near Kindia, Guinea. It is a valid species in the Catalog of Fishes. The epithet appears to be a personal name; the dedicatee is not recorded in the sources available to the atlas.
Morphology
A Synodontis form with locking spines, three barbel pairs and a scaleless body. FishBase gives a maximum of 5.5 in SL and 7.5 in TL.
Habitat
FishBase lists the upper Gambia, Corubal, Kogon, Fatala, Konkoure, Great Scarcies, Rokel, Jong, Sewa, St. John, Cess and Ofin rivers, across Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. It gives 72–77 °F and pH 6.8 to 7.8.
Feeding
Probably an omnivorous benthic feeder as in the rest of the genus; no species-specific diet record.
Mating
FishBase notes distinct pairing during breeding. Sexual differences in squeakers are usually subtle, with females fuller-bodied when ripe.
Breeding
The species is oviparous, with distinct pairing at spawning according to FishBase. No aquarium breeding record is known to the atlas.
In the aquarium
Keep as a typical West African Synodontis: 72–77 °F, pH 6.8 to 7.8, hiding places, and tankmates that cannot swallow it. It is scaleless and sensitive to copper medications; use a container, not a net, to move it.
Conservation
The IUCN Red List assessed Synodontis waterloti as Least Concern in 2019. Wild-caught fish are the usual source in trade.