The Malawi spinyeel (''Mastacembelus shiranus'') is a species of
fish in the family
Mastacembelidae
The Mastacembelidae are a family of fishes, known as the spiny eels. The Mastacembelids are part of the Order Synbranchiformes, the swamp eels, which are part of the Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes).
In an evaluation of the family in 2004, the ...
from Africa. It is
endemic to the
Lake Malawi basin, including the main lake itself,
Lake Malombe and the lower
Shire River.
[ Konings, Ad (1990). ''Ad Konings' Book of Cichlids and all the other Fishes of Lake Malawi,'' pp. 473—476. .] It is the only described species of spinyeel in Lake Malawi, but a brightly marked variant, ''Mastacembelus'' sp. "Rosette" is also known. It is unclear if it is a variant of the Malawi spinyeel or an
undescribed species.
[Oliver, M.K]
Aethiomastacembelus sp. "Rosette".
MalawiCichlids. Retrieved 11 April 2017. The Malawi spinyeel reaches about in length, and likely feeds on invertebrates and small fish.[
]
References
Malawi spinyeel
Fish of Lake Malawi
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Malawi spinyeel
Malawi spinyeel
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