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Macrognathus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Macrognathus
Peacock Eel (M. siamensis)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Synbranchiformes
Family: Mastacembelidae
Genus: Macrognathus
Lacepède, 1800
Type species
Ophidium aculeatum
Bloch, 1786
Synonyms
  • Rhynchobdella Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801

Macrognathus is a genus of eel-like fish of the family Mastacembelidae of the order Synbranchiformes.

These fish are distributed throughout most of South and Southeast Asia.[1] Macrognathus species feed on small aquatic insect larvae as well as oligochaetes.[1]

Appearance and anatomy

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Most Macrognathus species attain 20–25 cm (8–10 in) in length,[1] but a few surpass this size, with the largest being M. aral at up to 63.5 cm (25 in).[2]

Macrognathus are mostly similar to Mastacembelus. However, they differ in a more modified rostrum, which may be slightly to significantly larger and longer than those found in Mastacembelus. This serves not only to find food but also to help gather food.[1]

In the aquarium

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A number of species of this genus are popular aquarium fish. These include the lesser spiny eel, Macrognathus aculeatus, the spotfinned spiny eel, Macrognathus siamensis, as well as others.

Species

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According to FishBase, there are currently 25 recognized species in this genus.[2] According to Catalog of Fishes, one of these, M. malabaricus, belongs in the genus Mastacembelus instead of Macrognathus and another, M. taeniagaster, is considered a junior synonym of M. circumcinctus.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Roberts, Tyson R. (1980). "A Revision of the Asian Mastacembelid Fish Genus Macrognathus". Copeia. 1980 (3): 385–391. doi:10.2307/1444512. JSTOR 1444512.
  2. ^ a b Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). Species of Macrognathus in FishBase. April 2014 version.
  3. ^ Eschmeyer, W.N.; R. Fricke; R. van der Laan (14 May 2018). "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. ^ Plamoottil, M. & Abraham, N.P. (2014): Macrognathus fasciatus (Synbranchiformes; Mastacembelidae) - a new fish species from Kerala, India. Journal of Experimental Zoology, India, 17 (1): 49-54.
  5. ^ Pethiyagoda, R.; A. Silva; K. Maduwage; L. Kariyawasam (2008). "The Sri Lankan Five-eyed Spiny Eel, Macrognathus pentophthalmos (Teleostei: Mastacembelidae), and its enigmatic decline". Zootaxa. 1931: 37–48. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1931.1.3.
  6. ^ Arunkumar, L. (2016). "Macrognathus siangensis, a new spiny eel from Brahmaputra basin, Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes)". Journal of Research in Biology. 6 (3): 2003–2012.