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 also species in other freshwater habitats and a particularly rich radiation is found in the Lake Tanganyika basin with 15 species (14 endemic). A few species can even occur in brackish water.
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 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 and sometimes shallower among rocks. These four species have reduced eyes and are all pinkish-white in color (non-pigmented), similar to cavefish.
Taxonomy
In an evaluation of the Mastacembelidae in 2005, the genera Caecomastacembelus and Aethiomastacembelus (formerly used for the African species) were placed in synonymy with Mastacembelus.
Species
According to FishBase, 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.
Mastacembelus alboguttatus Boulenger, 1893
Mastacembelus albomaculatus Poll, 1953
Mastacembelus ansorgii Boulenger, 1905
Mastacembelus apectoralis K. J. Brown, Britz, I. R. Bills, Rüber & J. J. Day, 2011
Mastacembelus armatus (Lacépède, 1800) (Zig zag eel)
Mastacembelus aviceps T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
Mastacembelus batesii* Boulenger, 1911
Mastacembelus brachyrhinus Boulenger, 1899
Mastacembelus brichardi Poll, (1958) (Blind spiny eel)
Mastacembelus catchpolei Fowler, 1936
Mastacembelus congicus Boulenger, 1896
Mastacembelus crassus T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
Mastacembelus cryptacanthus Günther, 1867
Mastacembelus cunningtoni Boulenger, 1906
Mastacembelus dayi Boulenger, 1912 – junior synonym 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 according to Catalog of Fishes
Mastacembelus ellipsifer Boulenger, 1899
Mastacembelus erythrotaenia Bleeker, 1850 (Fire eel)
Mastacembelus favus Hora, 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 kakrimensis Vreven & Teugels, 2005
Mastacembelus latens T. R. Roberts & D. J. Stewart, 1976
Mastacembelus liberiensis Boulenger, 1898
Mastacembelus loennbergii Boulenger, 1898
Mastacembelus malabaricus* Jerdon, 1849
Mastacembelus marchei Sauvage, 1879
Mastacembelus mastacembelus (J. Banks & Solander, 1794)
Mastacembelus micropectus Matthes, 1962
Mastacembelus moorii 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 pantherinus Britz, 2007
Mastacembelus paucispinis Boulenger, 1899
Mastacembelus plagiostomus Matthes, 1962
Mastacembelus platysoma Poll & 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 (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 – junior synonym of M. undulatus according to Catalog of Fishes
Mastacembelus tinwini Britz, 2007
Mastacembelus traversi (Vreven & Teugels, 1997)
Mastacembelus triolobus W. Zhou & L. P. Yang, 2011
Mastacembelus trispinosus Steindachner, 1911
Mastacembelus undulatus (McClelland, 1844)
Mastacembelus unicolor G. Cuvier, 1832
Mastacembelus vanderwaali P. H. Skelton, 1976 (Ocellated spiny eel)
Mastacembelus zebratus Matthes, 1962
References
Mastacembelidae
Taxa named by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
Freshwater fish genera