Monopterus albus
Asian Swamp Eel
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Synbranchiformes (Swamp Eels)
Synbranchidae (Swamp Eels)
Monopterus
Monopterus albus (Asian Swamp Eel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: eel-like. 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).
Distribution
Asia: India to China, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Probably occurring in Bangladesh.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal. Found in: streams, lakes, estuaries, marshes/swamps.
Biology
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).
Max length: 100.0 cm SL; common length: 40.0 cm SL.
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Male builds a large free-floating bubblenest among the submerged vegetation close to the shoreline; eggs are spat into the nest after being laid; male guards the nest and continues to guard the young after hatching till they are on their own (Ref. 44091). Spawning occurs in shallow water (Ref. 2060). Sex reversal is completed in 8-30 weeks (Ref. 34260).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2020-11-10. Resilience: Medium (Fec = 1,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: 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.
Davidson, A. (1975) Fish and fish dishes of Laos. Imprimerie Nationale Vientiane. 202 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.
Kottelat, M. (1998) Fishes of the Nam Theun and Xe Bangfai basins, Laos, with diagnoses of twenty-two new species (Teleostei: Cyprinidae, Balitoridae, Cobitidae, Coiidae and Odontobutidae). Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 9(1):1-128.
Sadovy, Y. and D.Y. Shapiro (1987) Criteria for the diagnosis of hermaphroditism in fishes. Copeia 1987(1):136-156.
Yang, D., F. Chen, D. Li and B. Liu (1997) Preliminary study on the food composition of mud eel,Monopterus albus. Acta Hydrobiol. Sin. 21(1):24-30.
Kottelat, M. (2001) Fishes of Laos. WHT Publications Ltd., Colombo 5, Sri Lanka. 198 p.
Comments On Monopterus albus