''Typhlosynbranchus'' 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 swamp eels that are native to

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and

Central Africa Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, ...

. It contains two species that were formerly classified in the primarily

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

genus ''

Monopterus ''Monopterus'' is a genus of swamp eels native to Asia. They live in various freshwater habitats and some have a fossorial lifestyle.Britz, R., Doherty-Bone, T.M., Kouete, M.T., Sykes, D. & Gower, D.J. (2016)''Monopterus luticolus'', a new specie ...

.''

Taxonomy

The genus was originally formed by

Jacques Pellegrin Jacques Pellegrin (12 June 1873, Paris – 12 August 1944) was a French zoologist. In Paris, he worked under zoologist Léon Vaillant (chair of reptiles and fishes) at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle''. From 1897, Pellegrin served a ...

in 1922 for the

Liberian swamp eel The Liberian swamp eel (''Typhlosynbranchus boueti'') is a species of fish in the family Synbranchidae. It is indigenous to Liberia. It has also been found in Sierra Leone, with an unconfirmed report from Côte d'Ivoire. It was first described ...

, but later studies synonymized it with ''Monopterus''. However, a 2020 study found significant divergence between the two taxa and revived the genus for ''M. boueti'' and the recently described ''M. luticolus''.

Species

One of the two species, ''T. boueti'', is primarily found in aquatic environments, while the other (''T. luticolus'') has 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 in inundated soil. * ''

Typhlosynbranchus boueti The Liberian swamp eel (''Typhlosynbranchus boueti'') is a species of fish in the family Synbranchidae. It is indigenous to Liberia. It has also been found in Sierra Leone, with an unconfirmed report from Côte d'Ivoire. It was first described by ...

('' Pellegrin, 1922) (Liberian swamp eel) * ''

Typhlosynbranchus luticolus ''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 ...

'' Britz, Doherty-Bone, Kouete, D. Sykes & Gower, 2016 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.''

References

Freshwater fish genera Synbranchidae Taxa described in 1922 Taxa named by Jacques Pellegrin Fauna of Central Africa {{Synbranchiformes-stub