The body color is slate gray to olive-brown with a dark sheen; juveniles display a spotted pattern that fades with age. The underside ranges from pale yellow to gray. Most of the species of "Synodontis" of Lake Tanganyika have a recognizable pattern consisting of dark triangles at the bases of all of the rayed fins, present in "S. granulosus", and the back edges of the fins are white to yellowish in color. The caudal fin has a black bar that runs from the base of each lobe to the top of the fin. The barbels are white; the bases sometimes have scattered pigmentation.