''Mastacembelus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 stream gradient, gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Flow, gradient, constriction, and obstacles are four factors that are needed for a rapid t ...

), 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 a material medium. This includes: * ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...

is found in the

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika ( ; ) is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake. It is the world's List of lakes by volume, second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the List of lakes by depth, second deepest, in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. ...

basin with 15 species (14

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

). 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 estuary ...

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 (: 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. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

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 The zig-zag eel (''Mastacembelus armatus'' Scopoli, 1777'), also known as the Baim, tire-track, tire-track spiny-eel, freshwater spiny eel, or marbled spiny eel, is a species of freshwater Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish in the Family (biology), ...

''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, formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second-longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the third-largest river in the world list of rivers by discharge, by discharge volume, following the Amazon Ri ...

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, Troglomorphism, troglomorphic fish, troglobitic fish, stygobitic fish, phreat ...

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 precisely 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 a ...

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 63 recognized species in this genus. 5 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 (, , ...

'' Boulenger, 1893 * '' Mastacembelus albomaculatus''

Poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Forms of voting and counting * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling pla ...

, 1953 * '' Mastacembelus ansorgii'' Boulenger, 1905 * ''

Mastacembelus apectoralis ''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 a ...

'' 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 Mayen-Koblenz, district of Mayen-Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany. References

Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz {{MayenKoblenz-geo-stub ...

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

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus batesii''* Boulenger, 1911 * '' Mastacembelus brachyrhinus'' Boulenger, 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 a ...

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

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus cryptacanthus'' Günther, 1867 * '' Mastacembelus cunningtoni'' Boulenger, 1906 * '' Mastacembelus dayi'' Boulenger, 1912 –

junior synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. ...

of ''M. alboguttatus'' according to Catalog of Fishes * '' Mastacembelus decorsei'' Pellegrin, 1919 * '' Mastacembelus dienbienensis'' V. H. Nguyễn & H. D. Nguyễn, 2005 – belongs in genus ''

Sinobdella ''Sinobdella'' is a genus of spiny eels, often considered monotypic, containing only ''S. sinensis'' though Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes includes five species: The placement of this genus has been debated. It is placed in Mastacembelidae as th ...

'' according to Catalog of Fishes * '' Mastacembelus ellipsifer'' Boulenger, 1899 * '' Mastacembelus erythrotaenia'' Bleeker, 1850 (Fire eel) * ''

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 a ...

Hora Hora may refer to: Companies * Hora (company), a Romanian manufacturer of stringed musical instruments People, real & mythological * Hora (pl. Horae), figure from Greek mythology * Hora (surname) * Hora, a member of the Japanese duo Schwarz St ...

, 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 kadeiensis ''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 a ...

'' Roberts, 2020 * ''

Mastacembelus kakrimensis ''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 a ...

'' 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 a ...

'' T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976 * '' Mastacembelus liberiensis'' Boulenger, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus loennbergii'' Boulenger, 1898 * '' Mastacembelus malabaricus''* Jerdon, 1849 * ''

Mastacembelus marchei ''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 a ...

'' 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 a ...

'' ( J. Banks & Solander, 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 fish measurement, total length ...

'' 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 pani ''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 a ...

''* Endruweit, 2024 * '' Mastacembelus pantherinus''

, 2007 * '' Mastacembelus paucispinis'' Boulenger, 1899 * '' Mastacembelus plagiostomus'' Matthes, 1962 * '' Mastacembelus platysoma''

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 descri ...

, 1911 * ''

Mastacembelus truttoides ''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 a ...

''* Endruweit, 2024 * ''

Mastacembelus ubangipaucispinis ''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 a ...

'' Roberts, 2020 * '' Mastacembelus undulatus'' (

McClelland McClelland is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alyssa McClelland, Australian actress * Anthony McClelland, biological father of Lebron James * Charles A. McClelland (1917–2006), American political systems analyst * Charles ...

, 1844) * '' Mastacembelus unicolor'' G. Cuvier, 1832 * '' Mastacembelus vanderwaali'' P. H. Skelton, 1976 (Ocellated spiny eel) * ''

Mastacembelus zebratus The zebra spinyeel (''Mastacembelus zebratus'') is a species of fish in the family Mastacembelidae. It is endemic to Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika ( ; ) is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake. It is the world's List of lakes by volum ...

'' Matthes, 1962

References

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