upside-down catfish

noun

Any of various freshwater catfish that swim upside-down, such as Synodontis decorus, Synodontis multipunctatus, and especially Synodontis nigriventris

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Meanings

nounupside-down catfish (plural upside-down catfish or upside-down catfishes)

plural upside-down catfishes

  1. Any of various freshwater catfish that swim upside-down, such as Synodontis decorus, Synodontis multipunctatus, and especially Synodontis nigriventris

    Upside-down catfish are delightful aquarium pets. They eat any foods offered to them, and they are generally peaceful.

    1968, Alan Mark Fletcher, “The Upside-down Catfish”, in Unusual Aquarium Fishes, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J. B. Lippincott Company, →LCCN, page 43
    1 more example

    Through the advent of air travel the amazing family of upside-down catfishes has been introduced, and is now providing us with several species of amusing and interesting scavengers.

    1963, Derek McInerny, Geoffrey Gerard, “Synodontidæ”, in All About Tropical Fish, new edition, London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, →OCLC, page 359
Cite this entry
APA

upside-down catfish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upside-down%20catfish

MLA

“upside-down catfish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upside-down%20catfish. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “upside-down catfish,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/upside-down%20catfish.

Source: upside-down catfish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.