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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).
The zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus Scopoli, 1777 [3]), also known as the Baim, [4] tire-track, tire-track spiny-eel, freshwater spiny eel, or marbled spiny eel, [2] is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Mastacembelidae.
The fire eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) is a relatively large species of spiny eel. This omnivorous freshwater fish is native to Southeast Asia but is also found in the aquarium trade. [ 1 ] [ 3 ] Although it has declined locally (especially in parts of Cambodia and Thailand) due to overfishing , it remains common overall.
Spiny eels generally inhabit soft-bottomed habitats in fresh and occasionally brackish water. Some species burrow in the substrate during the day or for certain months and have been found buried in soil in drying periods. [4] These fish have an eel-like body. The largest species can reach a maximum length of 1 m (3.3 ft). [3]
The name spiny eel is used to describe members of two different families of fish: the freshwater Mastacembelidae of Asia and Africa, and the marine (and generally deep sea) Notacanthidae. Both are so-named because of their eel -like shape and sturdy fin spines.
Macrognathus siamensis, the peacock eel or spotfin spiny eel, is a spiny eel found in freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia. They are commercially important as food and aquarium fish. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
The eel is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and can commonly be found along shores. It is also found in intermediate zones. [3] M. ellipsifer prefers coastal waters with a sandy, rock, or a muddy bottom. The species environment is benthopelagic freshwater. [2] M. ellipsifer eats small fish in the wild, and is a nocturnal species.
Macrognathus pentophthalmos, the Sri Lanka five-eyed spiny eel, is a small species of spiny eel that is endemic to freshwater habitats in Sri Lanka.Described as a common species as recently as 1980, for unknown reasons its population rapidly declined in the following years and there are no recent confirmed records. [3]