''Mastacembelus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of many species of spiny eel fish from 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 ...

. They are native to Africa (c. 45 species) and Asia (c. 15 species). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in

rapids Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

), but there are also species in other freshwater habitats and a particularly rich

radiation In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...

is found in the

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

basin with 15 species (14

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

). A few species can even occur in

brackish water Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estua ...

Appearance

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 . At up to , the largest of both the family and this genus is '' M. erythrotaenia''. ''M. erythrotaenia'', often known as the fire eel, is blackish with an orange-red pattern, and it is a popular

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

fish. 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, and some are considered good food fish and eaten locally. '' M aviceps'', '' M. brichardi'', '' M. crassus'' and '' M. latens'' are found in dark, deep parts of the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...

and sometimes shallower among rocks. These four species have reduced eyes and are all pinkish-white in color (non- pigmented), similar to

cavefish Cavefish or cave fish is a generic term for fresh and brackish water fish adapted to life in caves and other underground habitats. Related terms are subterranean fish, troglomorphic fish, troglobitic fish, stygobitic fish, phreatic fish and hypog ...

Taxonomy

In an evaluation of the Mastacembelidae in 2005, the genera ''Caecomastacembelus'' and ''Aethiomastacembelus'' (formerly used for the African species) were placed in

synonymy A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with ''Mastacembelus''.

Species

According to

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

, there are currently 61 recognized species in this genus. 4 additional species (marked with a star* in the list) are recognized by

Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes is a comprehensive on-line database and reference work on the scientific names of fish species and genera. It is global in its scope and is hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. It has been compiled and is continuously up ...

. * ''

Mastacembelus alboguttatus Boulenger's spiny eel (''Mastacembelus alboguttatus'') is a species of ray-finned fish endemic to India, Myanmar and Thailand, known from Sittaung River, Salween River and Manipur River and possibly Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River ( Ayeya ...

Boulenger Boulenger is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Benjamin Boulenger (born 1990), French footballer * Edward George Boulenger (1888–1946), British zoologist, director of aquarium at London Zoo * George Albert Boulenger (1858–1 ...

, 1893 * '' Mastacembelus albomaculatus''

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

, 1953 * '' Mastacembelus ansorgii''

, 1905 * '' Mastacembelus apectoralis'' K. J. Brown,

Britz Britz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Neukölln. History The village of ''Britzig'' was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the sit ...

, I. R. Bills,

Rüber Rüber is a municipality in the district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Euro ...

& J. J. Day, 2011 * '' Mastacembelus armatus'' (

Lacépède Lacepede can refer to: * Bernard Germain de Lacépède (1756–1825), French naturalist and politician. * Lacepede Bay, a bay in South Australia. * Lacépède, Lot-et-Garonne, a ''commune'' in France * Lacepede Islands, a group of four islands in t ...

, 1800) (Zig zag eel) * ''

Mastacembelus aviceps ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus batesii''*

, 1911 * '' Mastacembelus brachyrhinus''

, 1899 * ''

Mastacembelus brichardi ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

, (1958) (Blind spiny eel) * '' Mastacembelus catchpolei'' Fowler, 1936 * '' Mastacembelus congicus''

, 1896 * ''

Mastacembelus crassus ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus cryptacanthus'' Günther, 1867 * '' Mastacembelus cunningtoni''

, 1906 * '' Mastacembelus dayi''

, 1912 –

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of ''M. alboguttatus'' according to Catalog of Fishes * '' Mastacembelus decorsei'' Pellegrin, 1919 * ''

Mastacembelus dienbienensis ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are al ...

'' V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 – belongs in genus ''

Sinobdella ''Sinobdella sinensis'' is an East Asian species of the spiny eel family of the order Synbranchiformes. It is the only species in the genus ''Sinobdella'' according to FishBase, but another species, '' S. dienbienensis'', is placed there by Catal ...

'' according to Catalog of Fishes * '' Mastacembelus ellipsifer''

, 1899 * ''

Mastacembelus erythrotaenia The fire eel (''Mastacembelus erythrotaenia'') is a relatively large species of spiny eel. This omnivorous freshwater fish is native to in Southeast Asia but is also found in the aquarium trade. Although it has declined locally (especially in Tha ...

Bleeker Bleeker is a Dutch occupational surname. Bleeker is an old spelling of ''(linnen)bleker'' ("linen bleacher").Mastacembelus favus ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

'' Hora, 1924 (Tire track eel) * '' Mastacembelus flavidus'' Matthes, 1962 * '' Mastacembelus flavomarginatus''*

, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus frenatus''

, 1901 (Longtail spiny eel) * '' Mastacembelus goro''*

, 1902 * ''

Mastacembelus greshoffi ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are al ...

, 1901 * '' Mastacembelus kakrimensis'' Vreven & Teugels, 2005 * ''

Mastacembelus latens ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus liberiensis''

, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus loennbergii''

, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus malabaricus''* Jerdon, 1849 * '' Mastacembelus marchei'' Sauvage, 1879 * ''

Mastacembelus mastacembelus ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are ...

'' ( J. Banks &

Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Swedish naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot on Australian soil. Biography ...

, 1794) * '' Mastacembelus micropectus'' Matthes, 1962 * ''

Mastacembelus moorii ''Mastacembelus moorii'' is a species of fish in the family Mastacembelidae. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika where it is a secretive species hiding among rocks or in the sediment in the littoral zone. It grows to a total length of . The specifi ...

, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus niger'' Sauvage, 1879 * ''

Mastacembelus nigromarginatus ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are al ...

, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus notophthalmus'' T. R. Roberts, 1989 * '' Mastacembelus oatesii''

, 1893 * '' Mastacembelus ophidium'' Günther, 1894 * '' Mastacembelus pantherinus''

, 2007 * '' Mastacembelus paucispinis''

, 1899 * '' Mastacembelus plagiostomus'' Matthes, 1962 * '' Mastacembelus platysoma''

& 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 ''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). Most are found in rivers and associated systems (even in rapids), but there are al ...

'' ( 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 –

of ''M. undulatus'' according to Catalog of Fishes * '' Mastacembelus tinwini''

, 2007 * '' Mastacembelus traversi'' ( Vreven & Teugels, 1997) * '' Mastacembelus triolobus'' W. Zhou & L. P. Yang, 2011 * '' Mastacembelus trispinosus''

Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner describ ...

, 1911 * '' Mastacembelus undulatus'' (

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles P. McClelland (1854–1944), New York politician, and US ...

, 1844) * '' Mastacembelus unicolor''

G. Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in nat ...

, 1832 * '' Mastacembelus vanderwaali'' P. H. Skelton, 1976 (Ocellated spiny eel) * '' Mastacembelus zebratus'' Matthes, 1962

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2233752 Mastacembelidae Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli Freshwater fish genera