Macrognathus siamensis
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = UF-237526-Macrognathus-siamensis-IMG 4718 USE.jpg
| image_caption = Peacock eel from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand
| image2 = Macrognathus-siamensis-UF-236679-Zachary-Randall.jpg
| image2_caption = Peacock spiny eel from Miami-Dade County, Florida
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Macrognathus siamensis
| authority = (Günther, 1861)
| synonyms = *Rhynchobdella aculeata siamensis Günther, 1861
- Mastacembelus siamensis (Günther, 1861)
| synonyms_ref = {{FishBase |Macrognathus |siamensis |month=February |year=2024 }}
}}
Macrognathus siamensis, the peacock eel or spotfin spiny eel, is a spiny eel found in freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia. They are commercially important as food and aquarium fish.
Distribution
The peacock eel is native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, which make up the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.{{Cite web|date=3 August 2018|title=Peacock Eel (Macrognathus siamensis) Ecological Risk Screening Summary|url=https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ans/erss/uncertainrisk/ERSS-Macrognathus-siamensis-final-August2018.pdf|access-date=26 January 2022|website=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service}} They are mostly found in slow-moving backwaters that have a sandy or muddy bottom, such as swamps, canals, and ponds.
There is an invasive population of peacock eels in the Everglades region of Florida, most likely being released due to the aquarium trade.{{Cite web|date=3 August 2018|title=Peacock Eel (Macrognathus siamensis) Ecological Risk Screening Summary|url=https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ans/erss/uncertainrisk/ERSS-Macrognathus-siamensis-final-August2018.pdf|access-date=26 January 2022|website=U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service}}{{Cite web|title=Spotfin Spiny Eel|url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/florida-fishes-gallery/spotfin-spiny-eel/|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Florida Museum}}{{Cite web|last=Fuller |display-authors=etal|date=23 August 2019|title=Macrognathus siamensis (Günther, 1861)|url=https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2261|access-date=26 January 2022|website=NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species}} The eels were first discovered in the C-111 canal in 2002, and in 2004 were also found to inhabit mangrove swamps further south.{{Cite journal|last=Kline |display-authors=etal|date=June 2013|title=Recent Fish Introductions Into Everglades National Park: An Unforeseen Consequence of Water Management?|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257797168|journal=Wetlands|volume=34|pages=S1|via=ResearchGate}}
Description
These fish lack scales and require a soft substrate to burrow into, such as sand, mud, or silt. They breed during the wet season when adjacent forests flood. Larvae reach 8 cm (2 in) in length in approximately 60 days after hatching.{{Cite journal|last=Saowakoon |display-authors=etal|date=2007|title=Breeding and nursing of spotted spiny eel (Macrognathus siamensis; Gunther, 1861).|url=https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20073204181|journal=Proceedings of the 45th Kasetsart University Annual Conference, Kasetart|via=CAB Direct}}
This eel can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in standard length, although 20 cm (8 in) is more common. Males and females are hard to tell apart through external means.{{Cite journal|last=Saowakoon |display-authors=etal|date=2007|title=Some aspects on reproductive biology of spotted spiny eel (Macrognathus siamensis, Gunther, 1861) case study in Surin and Buriram provinces, Thailand [2007]|url=https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=TH2008000251|journal=Proceedings of the 45th Kasetsart University Annual Conference|pages=722–731|via=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}}
Ecology
Their main diet is small crustaceans, annelids, and fish.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1761494}}
Category:Fish of the Mekong Basin