Mastacembelus armatus (Lacepède, 1800)

Open encyclopedia reference

The zig-zag eel (Mastacembelus armatus Scopoli, 1777), also known as the Baim, tire-track, tire-track spiny-eel, freshwater spiny eel, or marbled spiny eel, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Mastacembelidae. It is native to the riverine systems of the Indian Subcontinent (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal), Sri Lanka, South China, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia. The species was initially described as Macrognathus armature (Lacepède, 1800). Other common names for this popular captive species include the leopard spiny eel and white-spotted spiny eel. This eel has remained fairly popular as an aquarium fish for years, owing to its unique appearance and behaviors. Additionally, like other species of eels throughout the world, the zig-zag eel serves as a viable protein and food source for humans, aquatic reptiles, birds and other, larger fishes throughout much of its range. As a food source, zig-zag eels are consumed locally along the rivers they inhabit and are prepared in various ways including, smoked, barbecued, fried, curried, pickled, and dried.

Wikipedia contributors, Zig-zag eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:08:06.519860+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Mastacembelus armatus (Lacepède, 1800)

Name authority

(Lacepède, 1800)

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Synbranchiformes

Family

Mastacembelidae

Genus

Mastacembelus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderSynbranchiformes
11. suborderMastacembeloidei
12. familyMastacembelidae Swainson, 1839
13. genusMastacembelus Scopoli, 1777
14. speciesMastacembelus armatus (Lacepède, 1800)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Mastacembelus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 83 records assigned to Mastacembelidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281527 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:3YCJ4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.