Mastacembelus ellipsifer

Mastacembelus ellipsifer is a species of spiny eel that is endemic to Lake Tanganyika in Africa and sometimes kept in aquariums. Although sometimes called the Tanganyikan spiny eel,[3] it is only one of fifteen spiny eel species in the Tanganyikan basin (fourteen endemic).[4][5]

Mastacembelus ellipsifer
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Synbranchiformes
Family: Mastacembelidae
Genus: Mastacembelus
Species:
M. ellipsifer
Binomial name
Mastacembelus ellipsifer
Boulenger, 1899
Synonyms[2]
  • Aethiomastacembelus ellipsifer (Boulenger, 1899)
  • Afromastacembelus ellipsifer (Boulenger, 1899)

Description

M. ellipsifer can up to 45 centimeters (18 in) long. It is brown, with a darker ring-shaped pattern running down its back. Its dorsal fins are hard. The eel is endemic to Lake Tanganyika and can commonly be found along shores. It is also found in intermediate zones.[3] M. ellipsifer prefers coastal waters with a sandy, rock, or a muddy bottom. The species environment is benthopelagic freshwater.[2] M. ellipsifer eats small fish in the wild, and is a nocturnal species. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[2] It was one of the species that was photographed as part of a FishBase mission that had the primary objective to document and photograph the rich fish diversity of Lake Tanganyika with the help of ichthyologist Dr. Tyson R. Roberts.[6]

References
  1. Bigirimana, C.; Vreven, E. (2006). "Mastacembelus ellipsifer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2006: e.T60389A12348870. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T60389A12348870.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Mastacembelus ellipsifer" in FishBase. Augustyear=2019 2006 version.
  3. "Mastacembelus ellipsifer - Tanganyikan Spiny Eel". Seriously Fish. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  4. Brown; Rüber; Bills; Day (2010). "Mastacembelid eels support Lake Tanganyika as an evolutionary hotspot of diversification". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 10: 188. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-10-188. PMC 2903574. PMID 20565906.
  5. Brown; Britz; Bills; Rüber; Day (2011). "Pectoral fin loss in the Mastacembelidae: a new species from Lake Tanganyika". Journal of Zoology. 284 (4): 286–293. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00804.x.
  6. "Lake Tanganyika: Kigoma, Tanzania and Mpulungu, Zambia". FishBase. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
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