Biology:Mastacembelus

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Short description: Genus of fishes

Mastacembelus
Caecomasta-moori4.jpg
Mastacembelus moorii
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Synbranchiformes
Family: Mastacembelidae
Genus: Mastacembelus
Scopoli, 1777
Type species
Ophidium mastacembelus
J. Banks & Solander, 1794[1]
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Caecomastacembelus[2]
  • Aethiomastacembelus[2]
  • Afromastacembelus[3]

Mastacembelus is a genus of many species of spiny eel fish from the family Mastacembelidae. They are native to Africa (c. 45 species) and Asia (c. 15 species).[4] Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids[5]), but there are also species in other freshwater habitats and a particularly rich radiation is found in the Lake Tanganyika basin with 15 species (14 endemic).[6][7] A few species can even occur in brackish water.[8]

Appearance

Several Mastacembelus armatus caught in the Tlawng river in India. This species is sometimes kept in aquariums, but also considered a good food fish and eaten in its native range[8]

The size and pattern varies greatly depending on the exact species of Mastacembelus. The smallest are M. latens and M. simba, which only reach a maximum total length of 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in).[4][5] At up to 1 m (3.3 ft), the largest of both the family and this genus is M. erythrotaenia.[4][9] M. erythrotaenia, often known as the fire eel, is blackish with an orange-red pattern, and it is a popular aquarium fish.[9] Otherwise species in this genus are typically brownish and often have a spotted, speckled or mottled pattern, either in another brown hue, grayish or yellowish. This pattern is reflected in the common name of another species sometimes kept in aquariums, the zig-zag eel M. armatus (alternatively called the tire track eel, a name otherwise used for M. favus). A few others also occasionally appear in the aquarium trade,[9] and some are considered good food fish and eaten locally.[8] M aviceps, M. brichardi, M. crassus and M. latens are found in dark, deep parts of the Congo River and sometimes shallower among rocks. These four species have reduced eyes and are all pinkish-white in color (non-pigmented), similar to cavefish.[5]

Taxonomy

In an evaluation of the Mastacembelidae in 2005, the genera Caecomastacembelus and Aethiomastacembelus (formerly used for the African species) were placed in synonymy with Mastacembelus.[2]

Species

Mastacembelus armatus is a widespread Asian species found in both fresh and brackish water, but as currently defined it is likely a species complex[8]
Mastacembelus erythrotaenia is a relatively large, brightly marked Asian species that is highly prized in the aquarium trade[10]
Mastacembelus ellipsifer, one of the many species found only in Lake Tanganyika[6][7]
Mastacembelus flavidus, another species found only in Lake Tanganyika[6][7]

According to FishBase, there are currently 61 recognized species in this genus.[4] 4 additional species (marked with a star* in the list) are recognized by Catalog of Fishes.[11]

  • Mastacembelus alboguttatus Boulenger, 1893
  • Mastacembelus albomaculatus Poll, 1953
  • Mastacembelus ansorgii Boulenger, 1905
  • Mastacembelus apectoralis K. J. Brown, Britz, I. R. Bills, Rüber & J. J. Day, 2011
  • Mastacembelus armatus (Lacépède, 1800) (Zig zag eel)
  • Mastacembelus aviceps T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
  • Mastacembelus batesii* Boulenger, 1911
  • Mastacembelus brachyrhinus Boulenger, 1899
  • Mastacembelus brichardi Poll, (1958) (Blind spiny eel)
  • Mastacembelus catchpolei Fowler, 1936
  • Mastacembelus congicus Boulenger, 1896
  • Mastacembelus crassus T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
  • Mastacembelus cryptacanthus Günther, 1867
  • Mastacembelus cunningtoni Boulenger, 1906
  • Mastacembelus dayi Boulenger, 1912 – junior synonym of M. alboguttatus according to Catalog of Fishes[11]
  • Mastacembelus decorsei Pellegrin, 1919
  • Mastacembelus dienbienensis V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 – belongs in genus Sinobdella according to Catalog of Fishes[11]
  • Mastacembelus ellipsifer Boulenger, 1899
  • Mastacembelus erythrotaenia Bleeker, 1850 (Fire eel)
  • Mastacembelus favus Hora, 1924 (Tire track eel)
  • Mastacembelus flavidus Matthes, 1962
  • Mastacembelus flavomarginatus* Boulenger, 1898
  • Mastacembelus frenatus Boulenger, 1901 (Longtail spiny eel)
  • Mastacembelus goro* Boulenger, 1902
  • Mastacembelus greshoffi Boulenger, 1901
  • Mastacembelus kakrimensis Vreven & Teugels, 2005
  • Mastacembelus latens T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
  • Mastacembelus liberiensis Boulenger, 1898
  • Mastacembelus loennbergii Boulenger, 1898
  • Mastacembelus malabaricus* Jerdon, 1849
  • Mastacembelus marchei Sauvage, 1879
  • Mastacembelus mastacembelus (J. Banks & Solander, 1794)
  • Mastacembelus micropectus Matthes, 1962
  • Mastacembelus moorii Boulenger, 1898
  • Mastacembelus niger Sauvage, 1879
  • Mastacembelus nigromarginatus Boulenger, 1898
  • Mastacembelus notophthalmus T. R. Roberts, 1989
  • Mastacembelus oatesii Boulenger, 1893
  • Mastacembelus ophidium Günther, 1894
  • Mastacembelus pantherinus Britz, 2007
  • Mastacembelus paucispinis Boulenger, 1899
  • Mastacembelus plagiostomus Matthes, 1962
  • Mastacembelus platysoma Poll & Matthes, 1962
  • Mastacembelus polli Vreven, 2005
  • Mastacembelus praensis (Travers, 1992)
  • Mastacembelus reygeli Vreven & Snoeks, 2009
  • Mastacembelus robertsi (Vreven & Teugels, 1996)
  • Mastacembelus sanagali Thys van den Audenaerde, 1972
  • Mastacembelus seiteri Thys van den Audenaerde, 1972
  • Mastacembelus sexdecimspinus (T. R. Roberts & Travers, 1986)
  • Mastacembelus shiloangoensis (Vreven, 2004)
  • Mastacembelus shiranus Günther, 1896 (Malawi spiny eel)
  • Mastacembelus simbi Vreven & Stiassny, 2009
  • Mastacembelus strigiventus W. Zhou & L. P. Yang, 2011
  • Mastacembelus taiaensis (Travers, 1992)
  • Mastacembelus tanganicae Günther, 1894
  • Mastacembelus thacbaensis V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 – junior synonym of M. undulatus according to Catalog of Fishes[11]
  • Mastacembelus tinwini Britz, 2007
  • Mastacembelus traversi (Vreven & Teugels, 1997)
  • Mastacembelus triolobus W. Zhou & L. P. Yang, 2011
  • Mastacembelus trispinosus Steindachner, 1911
  • Mastacembelus undulatus (McClelland, 1844)
  • Mastacembelus unicolor G. Cuvier, 1832
  • Mastacembelus vanderwaali P. H. Skelton, 1976 (Ocellated spiny eel)
  • Mastacembelus zebratus Matthes, 1962

References

  1. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron; van der Laan, Richard, eds. "Mastacembelus". California Academy of Sciences. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp?genid=296. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Vreven, E. J. (2005). "Mastacembelidae (Teleostei; Synbranchiformes) subfamily division and African generic division: an evaluation". Journal of Natural History 39 (4): 351–370. doi:10.1080/0022293042000195975. https://zenodo.org/record/4668944. 
  3. ↑ "Afromastacembelus". http://research.calacademy.org/redirect?url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatget.asp&genid=7163. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). Species of Mastacembelus in FishBase. April 2018 version.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Elizabeth Alter, S.; Brown, B.; Stiassny, M.L.J. (2015). "Molecular phylogenetics reveals convergent evolution in lower Congo River spiny eels". BMC Evolutionary Biology 15 (1): 224. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0507-x. PMID 26472465. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Brown; Rüber; Bills; Day (2010). "Mastacembelid eels support Lake Tanganyika as an evolutionary hotspot of diversification". BMC Evolutionary Biology 10: 188. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-10-188. PMID 20565906. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Brown; Britz; Bills; Rüber; Day (2011). "Pectoral fin loss in the Mastacembelidae: a new species from Lake Tanganyika". Journal of Zoology 284 (4): 286–293. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00804.x. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Fernado, M.; Kotagama, O.; de Alwis Goonatilake, S. (2019). "Mastacembelus armatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T166586A60592409. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T166586A60592409.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/166586/60592409. Retrieved 14 December 2023. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Mastacembelus erythrotaenia (Fire Eel)". Seriously Fish. http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/mastacembelus-erythrotaenia/. 
  10. ↑ Schliewen, U. (1992). Aquarium Fish. Barron's Educational Series. ISBN:978-0812013504.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. 14 May 2018. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp. 

Wikidata ☰ Q2233752 entry



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