Synodontis xiphias is a species of upside-down catfish that is native to the Niger River basin of Nigeria.

[3] The species name xiphias comes from the Greek word xiphos, meaning sword, which refers to the long snout that was observed on the stuffed type specimen.

[4] Like all members of the genus Synodontis, S. xiphias has a strong, bony head capsule that extends back as far as the first spine of the dorsal fin.

[6] All members of Syndontis have a structure called a premaxillary toothpad, which is located on the very front of the upper jaw of the mouth.

[6] On the lower jaw, or mandible, the teeth of Syndontis are attached to flexible, stalk-like structures and described as "s-shaped" or "hooked".

[1] The reproductive habits of most of the species of Synodontis are not known, beyond some instances of obtaining egg counts from gravid females.