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Monopterus albus (Zuiew, 1793)
Asian swamp eel
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Monopterus albus
Picture by Vidthayanon, C.
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Picture by Vidthayanon, C.
China country information
Common names:
鱔魚, 鳝鱼, 黃鱔
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: commercial | Ref: Ma, X., X. Bangxi, W. Yindong and W. Mingxue, 2003
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Recorded from the Mekong basin in Yunnan (Ref. 27732) and in freshwater systems of Guangdong Province (Ref. 41252). Introduced from its native range to other regions in the country (intensive culture in ponds and ricefields)(Ref. 55380). Also Ref. 1739, 4833, 26561, 35840, 36654, 41093, 41236, 85799.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kottelat, M., 1998
National Database:
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: commercial | Ref: Ma, X., X. Bangxi, W. Yindong and W. Mingxue, 2003
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: live export: yes;
Comments: Recorded from the Mekong basin in Yunnan (Ref. 27732) and in freshwater systems of Guangdong Province (Ref. 41252). Introduced from its native range to other regions in the country (intensive culture in ponds and ricefields)(Ref. 55380). Also Ref. 1739, 4833, 26561, 35840, 36654, 41093, 41236, 85799.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Kottelat, M., 1998
National Database:
Common names from other countries
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Teleostei (teleosts) > Synbranchiformes (Spiny eels) > Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels)
Etymology: Monopterus: Greek, monos = one, unique + Greek, pteron = fin (Ref. 45335).
Etymology: Monopterus: Greek, monos = one, unique + Greek, pteron = fin (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Freshwater; brackish; demersal; potamodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 3 - ? m (Ref. 2686). Tropical; 25°C - 28°C (Ref. 2060); 34°N - 6°S
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Asia: India to China, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Probably occurring in Bangladesh.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2686); common length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894)
Max length : 100.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2686); common length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 44894)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Anguilliform body; no scales; no pectoral and pelvic fins; dorsal, caudal and anal fins confluent and reduced to a skin fold; gill openings merged into single slit underneath the head (Ref. 27732). Rice paddy eels are red to brown with a sprinkling of dark flecks across their backs; large mouths and small eyes (Ref. 44091).
Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Found in hill streams to lowland wetlands (Ref. 57235) often occurring in ephemeral waters (Ref. 44894). Adults are found in medium to large rivers, flooded fields and stagnant waters including sluggish flowing canals (Ref. 12975, 12693), in streamlets and estuaries (Ref. 41236). Benthic (Ref. 58302), burrowing in moist earth in dry season surviving for long periods without water (Ref 2686). Occasionally dug out in old taro fields, in Hawaii, long after the field has been drained; more frequently observed in stream clearing operations using heavy equipment to remove large amounts of silt and vegetation where the eels are hidden (Ref. 44091). Nocturnal predators devouring fishes, worms, crustaceans, and other small aquatic animals (Ref. 44091); also feed on detritus. Are protandrous hermaphrodites. The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205). Marketed fresh and can be kept alive for long periods of time as long as the skin is kept moist (Ref. 12693). Good flesh (Ref. 2686). Important fisheries throughout Southeast Asia (Ref. 57235).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Male builds a large free-floating bubblenest among the submerged vegetation close to the shoreline; eggs are spat into the nest after being laid; male guards the nest and continues to guard the young after hatching till they are on their own (Ref. 44091). Spawning occurs in shallow water (Ref. 2060). Sex reversal is completed in 8-30 weeks (Ref. 34260).
Main reference
Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Fávorito, Sandra | Collaborators
Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran, 1991. Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 2. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, i-xxii + 543-1158, 1 pl. (Ref. 4833)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 10 November 2020
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO(Aquaculture systems: production; Fisheries: production; publication : search) | FishSource |
More information
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Tools
Bio-Quiz | E-book | Field guide | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Classification Tree
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Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Alien/Invasive Species database | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00059 (0.00037 - 0.00095), b=3.06 (2.92 - 3.20), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 2.9 ±0.28 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec = 1,000).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High vulnerability (65 of 100).