Macrognathus zebrinus (Blyth, 1858)
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 zebrinus, the zebra spiny eel, is a species of spiny eel endemic to Myanmar, specifically known from the Irrawaddy River, Sittaung River and Salween River and may also occur in Indonesia. It was originally described as Mastacembelus zebrinus before being moved to the genus Macrognathus in 1984 and 1986. It is pale brown with deeper color in the back and dusky stripes throughout the body (this is more distinct with the young) and has scales on its snout. In 1888, pioneer ichthyologist Francis Day once noted that he thought Macrognathus pancalus (although smaller) and M. zebrinus were one species; he also described it as yellow with vertical blue stripes with striped and spotted fins. It has also been introduced to Singapore and is now an established species, known from four reservoirs Kranji, Lower Peirce, Lower Seletar and Tengeh. It is active at twilight and night and is predatory, feeding on mosquito larvae, earthworms, Tubifex, small crustaceans and other fishes. It is fished as part of mixed catch and is also collected as an ornamental fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Macrognathus zebrinus; 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 zebrinus (Blyth, 1858)
- Name authority
- (Blyth, 1858)
- 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 zebrinus (Blyth, 1858)
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 pentophthalmos (Gronow, 1854) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus siamensis (Günther, 1861) | MastacembelidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Macrognathus taeniagaster (Fowler, 1935) | 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 zebrinus Blyth, 1858 Blyth, 1858 | 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=1021356 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:3X5BC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.