''Monopterus'' is a genus of swamp eels native to Asia. They live in various freshwater habitats and some have a

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric eviden ...

lifestyle.Britz, R., Doherty-Bone, T.M., Kouete, M.T., Sykes, D. & Gower, D.J. (2016)
''Monopterus luticolus'', a new species of swamp eel from Cameroon (Teleostei: Synbranchidae).
''Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 27 (4): 309-323.''

Species

Four recognized species are placed in this genus: * '' M. albus'' ( Zuiew, 1793) (Asian swamp eel) * ''M. bicolor'' H. D. Nguyễn & V. H. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''M. dienbienensis'' V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 * ''M. javanensis''

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 Six species from

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

(''M. cuchia'', '' M. desilvai'', ''M. hodgarti'', ''M. fossorius'', ''M. ichthyophoides'', and '' M. indicus'') have been reclassified to the genus ''

Ophichthys ''Ophichthys'' is a genus of swamp eels native to South Asia. They live in freshwater or subterranean habitats, and some have a fossorial lifestyle. Taxonomy All species in this genus were formerly classified in ''Monopterus'', but a 2020 stu ...

''. Four

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * ''Subterranean Magazine'', an American fa ...

species (''M. digressus'', '' M. eapeni'', '' M. rongsaw'', and ''M. roseni'') from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

have been reclassified to the genus ''

Rakthamichthys ''Rakthamichthys'' is a genus of swamp eels that are endemic to India. Three species are known from the Western Ghats and one is known from Northeast India. All species live underground, with one species (''R. rongsaw'') having a fossorial li ...

''. Two species from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

('' M. boueti'' and ''M. luticolus'') have been reclassified to the genus ''

Typhlosynbranchus ''Typhlosynbranchus'' is a genus of swamp eels that are native to West and Central Africa. It contains two species that were formerly classified in the primarily Asian genus ''Monopterus.'' Taxonomy The genus was originally formed by Jacques ...

''.

References

Freshwater fish genera Synbranchidae Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Synbranchiformes-stub