Teleostei (teleosts) >
Synbranchiformes (Spiny eels) >
Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels)
Etymology: Monopterus: Greek, monos = one, unique + Greek, pteron = fin (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: Dr Georges Théodore Louis Bouët (1869–1957) was an army physician, ornithologist and colonial administrator, who served (1896–1900) in Sudan, Madagascar (1900–1904), Ivory Coast, Niger and Dahomey (Benin) (1906–1930). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Pellegrin.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; demersal. Tropical
Africa: Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia (Ref. 57291, 116049). Reported also from Côte d'Ivoire (Ref. 2828), but its identification is unclear as the specimen has clearly visible eyes (Ref. 116049).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 34.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57291)
Diagnosis: body naked, slender, elongated and cylindrical, ending in a very tapering point; the caudal part of the body makes less than one third of the total length; no trace of paired or unpaired fins; eye atrophied, deep-set under skin, practically invisible from the outside; conical teeth on jaws and palate; gill opening minute, reduced to a median ovate pore, surrounded with longitudinal skin folds; 4 branchiostegal rays; 3 branchial arches without branchial lamellae; lateral line present; vertebral count: 140-144 abdominal and 39-45 caudal (Ref. 57291).
Colouration: uniformly dark (Ref. 57291).
Obligate air-breathing (Ref. 126274); Contrary to what is suggested by its morphology, this species is not cavernicolous; it burrows in mud, never very far from the sea (Ref. 57291). The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205).
Daget, J., 2003. Synbranchidae. p. 447-450 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p. (Ref. 57291)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00085 (0.00039 - 0.00184), b=3.09 (2.90 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (24 of 100).
