Microsynodontis is a genus of upside-down catfishes native to freshwater rivers in western Africa.

[1] The genus was originally described by British-Belgian zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1903 based upon the type species Microsynodontis batesii.

[2] Species in Microsynodontis are small, reaching a maximum standard length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in).

Identifying an individual fish's species within the genus of Microsynodontis can be difficult, but some diagnostic methods have been identifying, including the identification of the color and color patterns, the shape and size of the fins, the shape and size of the snout, the characteristics of the spines of the fish, and the characteristics of the tubercles, which are small, rounded protrusions on the skin of the fish.

[1] The number of teeth in an individual has not been demonstrated to be useful in identifying the species in this genus, unlike in other genera of the Mochokidae.