Macrognathus siamensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Macrognathus siamensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Peacock eel from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand | |
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| Peacock spiny eel from Miami-Dade County, Florida | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Synbranchiformes |
| Family: | Mastacembelidae |
| Genus: | Macrognathus |
| Species: | M. siamensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Macrognathus siamensis (Günther, 1861) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
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.[1][2]
The peacock eel is native to the Mekong and Chao Phraya basins, which make up the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.[3] They are mostly found in slow-moving backwaters that have a sandy or muddy bottom, such as swamps, canals, and ponds.[2]
There is an invasive population of peacock eels in the Everglades region of Florida, most likely being released due to the aquarium trade.[3][4][5] The eels were first discovered in the C-111 canal in 2002, and in 2004 were also found to inhabit mangrove swamps further south.[6]