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Monopterus albus  (Zuiew, 1793)

Asian swamp eel
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Image of Monopterus albus (Asian swamp eel)
Monopterus albus
Picture by Vidthayanon, C.


country information

Common names: [No common name]
Occurrence:
Salinity:
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments:
National Checklist:
Country Information:
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
National Database:

Classification / Names

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Synbranchiformes (Spiny eels) > Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels)
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Main reference

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2686); common length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894)

Environment

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 3 - ? m (Ref. 2686)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 25°C - 28°C (Ref. 2060), preferred ?; 34°N - 6°S

Distribution

Asia: India to China, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Probably occurring in Bangladesh.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Anguilliform body; no scales; no pectoral and pelvic fins; dorsal, caudal and anal fins confluent and reduced to a skin fold; gill openings merged into single slit underneath the head (Ref. 27732). Rice paddy eels are red to brown with a sprinkling of dark flecks across their backs; large mouths and small eyes (Ref. 44091).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in hill streams to lowland wetlands (Ref. 57235) often occurring in ephemeral waters (Ref. 44894). Adults are found in medium to large rivers, flooded fields and stagnant waters including sluggish flowing canals (Ref. 12975, 12693), in streamlets and estuaries (Ref. 41236). Benthic (Ref. 58302), burrowing in moist earth in dry season surviving for long periods without water (Ref 2686). Occasionally dug out in old taro fields, in Hawaii, long after the field has been drained; more frequently observed in stream clearing operations using heavy equipment to remove large amounts of silt and vegetation where the eels are hidden (Ref. 44091). Nocturnal predators devouring fishes, worms, crustaceans, and other small aquatic animals (Ref. 44091); also feed on detritus. Are protandrous hermaphrodites. The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205). Marketed fresh and can be kept alive for long periods of time as long as the skin is kept moist (Ref. 12693). Good flesh (Ref. 2686). Important fisheries throughout Southeast Asia (Ref. 57235).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Threat to humans

  Harmless



Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial

More information

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion
Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

Alien/Invasive Species database | BHL | BOLDSystems | Check for other websites | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO(Aquaculture: production; fisheries: production; publication : search) | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GOBASE | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | iSpecies | National databases | PubMed | Scirus | Sea Around Us | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | uBio | uBio RSS | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record | Fishtrace

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD50 = 0.5001 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
2.9   ±0.28 se; Based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 1,000)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
High vulnerability (65 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
Unknown