Macrognathus pentophthalmos (Gronow, 1854)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Macrognathus pentophthalmos, the Sri Lanka five-eyed spiny eel, is a small species of spiny eel that is endemic to freshwater habitats in Sri Lanka. Described as a common species as recently as 1980, for unknown reasons its population rapidly declined in the following years and there are no recent confirmed records. In 2012, it was listed as "Critically Endangered, possibly Extinct" in the Sri Lankan National Red List, which was matched by IUCN in 2019.
It is up to 19.5 cm (7.7 in) in standard length. Compared to Mastacembelus armatus, the only other spiny eel in Sri Lanka, M. pentophthalmos has a striped/plain (not mottled) pattern, and clearly separated dorsal, caudal and anal fins. The English name of M. pentophthalmos refers to the series of dark spots on its dorsal fin.
Described as a new species in 1854, it was then considered a synonym of the widespread M. aral. In 2008 it was shown that this was mistaken and M. pentophthalmos was reinstated as a valid species (the true M. aral is not found in Sri Lanka).
Wikipedia contributors, Macrognathus pentophthalmos; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:06:46.472621+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Macrognathus pentophthalmos (Gronow, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Gronow, 1854)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Synbranchiformes
- Family
- Mastacembelidae
- Genus
- Macrognathus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSynbranchiformes
- suborderMastacembeloidei
- familyMastacembelidae Swainson, 1839
- genusMacrognathus Lacepède, 1800
- speciesMacrognathus pentophthalmos (Gronow, 1854)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Macrognathus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Macrognathus siamensis (Günther, 1861) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus taeniagaster (Fowler, 1935) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus zebrinus (Blyth, 1858) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus dorsiocellatus Britz, 2010 | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus obscurus Britz, 2010 | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus maculatus (Cuvier, 1832) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus guentheri (Day, 1865) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus aureus Britz, 2010 | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus pancalus Hamilton, 1822 | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus malabaricus (Jerdon, 1849) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus keithi (Herre, 1940) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus fasciatus Plamoottil & Abraham, 2014 | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Mastacembelus pentophthalmos Gronow, 1854 Gronow, 1854 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1021585 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3X5B3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.