Macrognathus zebrinus

{{Short description|Species of fish}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Macrognathus zebrinus Day.png

| image_alt =

| image_caption = 1889 photo

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Vishwanath, W. |date=2010 |title=Macrognathus zebrinus |volume=2010 |page=e.T168432A6491139 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T168432A6491139.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

| taxon = Macrognathus zebrinus

| authority = (Blyth, 1858)

| synonyms = Mastacembelus zebrinus Blyth, 1858

| synonyms_ref = {{Fishbase|Macrognathus|zebrinus|month=August|year=2019}}

}}

Macrognathus zebrinus, the zebra spiny eel,{{cite book |author=Hans A. Baensch, Rüdiger Riehl |date=1998 |title=Aquarium Atlas, Volume 3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IlPTzkgnkBUC&dq=Macrognathus+zebrinus&pg=PA1010 |publisher=Steven Simpson Books |page=1010 |isbn=3882440538 |access-date=June 10, 2015}} is a species of spiny eel endemic to Myanmar, specifically known from the Irrawaddy River, Sittaung River and Salween River and may also occur in Indonesia. It was originally described as Mastacembelus zebrinus before being moved to the genus Macrognathus in 1984 and 1986.

It is pale brown with deeper color in the back and dusky stripes throughout the body (this is more distinct with the young){{cite book |author=Albert Carl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther |date=1861 |title=Catalogue of the Fishes in the British Museum: Acanthopterygian fishes: Gobiidœ to Notacanthi. 1861 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.31312 |quote=Macrognathus zebrinus. |publisher=British Museum |page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.31312/page/n567 541] |access-date=June 10, 2015}} and has scales on its snout. In 1888, pioneer ichthyologist Francis Day once noted that he thought Macrognathus pancalus (although smaller) and M. zebrinus were one species; he also described it as yellow with vertical blue stripes with striped and spotted fins.{{cite book |author=Francis Day |date=1888 |title=The Fishes of India: Being a Natural History of the Fishes Known to Inhabit the Seas and Fresh Waters of India, Burma, and Ceylon, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3MlHAQAAMAAJ&dq=Macrognathus+zebrinus&pg=PA340 |publisher=Francis Day (self-published) |pages=339–340 |access-date=June 10, 2015|author-link=Francis Day }}

It has also been introduced to Singapore and is now an established species, known from four reservoirs Kranji, Lower Peirce, Lower Seletar and Tengeh.{{cite journal|title= The Zebra Spiny Eel (Macrognathus Zebrinus) — A Non-Native Species in Singapore (Synbranchiformes: Mastacembelidae)|journal=Cosmos|volume=06|pages=91–93|date=2010 |doi=10.1142/S0219607710000449 |last1=Ng|first1=Heok HEE}} It is active at twilight and night and is predatory, feeding on mosquito larvae, earthworms, Tubifex, small crustaceans and other fishes. It is fished as part of mixed catch and is also collected as an ornamental fish. Although it is not well known, it is listed as Least Concern and protection and research is needed.