- Swamp eel
Taxobox
name = Swamp eels
image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Monopterus albus"
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Actinopterygii
ordo =Synbranchiformes
subordo = Synbranchoidei
familia = Synbranchidae
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Macrotrema "
"Monopterus "
"Ophisternon "
"Synbranchus "The swamp eels (also written "swamp-eels") are a family (Synbranchidae) of
freshwater eel -likefish es of the worldwide tropics. The family includes about 18 species in four genera.These fish are almost entirely finless; the pectoral and
pelvic fin are absent, the dorsal andanal fin s are vestigial, reduced to rayless ridges, and thecaudal fin ranges from small to absent, depending on species. Almost all of the species lack scales. The eyes are small, and in some cave-dwelling species they are beneath the skin, and the fish is blind. Thegill membranes are fused, and the gill opening is either a slit or pore underneath the throat.Swim bladder and ribs are also absent.The
marbled swamp eel "Synbranchus marmoratus" has been recorded at up to 150 cm in length, while theBombay swampeel "Monopterus indicus" reaches no more than 8.5 cm.Most of the species can breathe air. Many also burrow, and are found in the mud underneath a dried-up pond.
In the Jiangnan region of China, swamp eels are a delicacy, usually cooked in stirfries or casseroles. The recipe usually calls for garlic, scallions, bamboo shoots, sugar and soy sauce with prodigious amounts of vegetable oil. It is popular in the region from Shanghai to Nanjing. The Chinese name in pinyin of this dish is called chao shan hu. The name of the swamp eel is shan yu or 鳝鱼。
External links
* [http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=262 FishBase info for Synbranchidae]
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