Macrognathus pancalus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Synbranchiformes (Swamp Eels)
Mastacembelidae (Spiny Eels)
Macrognathus
Macrognathus pancalus
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: eel-like.
Distribution
Asia: Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Reported from Nepal (Ref. 9496).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, estuaries.
Biology
Inhabits slow and shallow waters of rivers of plains and estuaries; never available above an altitude of 366 m. Also found in canals, streams, beels, ponds and inundated fields (Ref. 1479). Has been placed into aquaria and kept by hobbyists; it stays on the bottom and spawns in the upper water-level. The more slender and generally smaller males pursue the female in courtship; several males may join in.
Max length: 18.9 cm TL; max weight: 35 g.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders; parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2010-01-23. Resilience: High (K=1.0-1.7).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran (1991) Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, i-xxii + 543-1158, 1 pl.
Plamoottil, M. and N.P. Abraham (2014) Macrognathus albus (order: Synbranchiformes; family: Mastacembelidae), a new fish species from Kerala, India. Intl. J. Pure Appl. Zool. 2(2):100-105.
Baitha, R., S.K. Karna, A. Ray, T.N. Chanu, H.S. Swain, M.H. Ramteke, S. Bayen, R.K. Manna and B.K. Das (2018) Length-weight and length-length relationship of eight fish species from river Ganga, India. J. Appl. Ichthyol. 34:1052-1054. DOI: 10.1111/jai.13698
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