Peacock spiny eel
| Peacock spiny eel | ||||||||||||
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Peacock spiny eel ( Macrognathus siamensis ) |
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| Macrognathus siamensis | ||||||||||||
| ( Günther , 1861) |
The peacock spiny eel ( Macrognathus siamensis ) occurs in Thailand in the Mekong , Mae Nam Chao Phraya ( Chao Phraya River ) and other rivers.
features
The fish have an eel-like shape, but flattened on the sides and become 30 cm long. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins have not grown together. The dorsal fin is supported by 13 to 19 spine rays and 53 soft rays. In the anal fin there are 49 soft rays. The number of vertebrae is 75. In the rear area of the base of the dorsal fin there are three to six conspicuous eye spots . They are much larger than those of Macrognathus aral . Macrognathus siamensis lacks the fine stripes of M. aral and M. meklongensis .
Way of life
Peacock spiny eels live on the bottom of slowly flowing or stagnant bodies of water and also go into flooded forests and fields. During the day, they often hide in the sandy ground so that only their heads can be seen. They feed on insect larvae, crustaceans and worms and are caught by humans for human consumption or as aquarium fish.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch & Rüdiger Riehl : Aquariums Atlas, Volume 1 . Mergus Verlag, 1997, ISBN 3-88244-101-1
Web links
- Peacock spiny eel on Fishbase.org (English)
- Macrognathus siamensis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: Vidthayanon, C., 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2014.