Mastacembelus plagiostomus

[mermaid]

Mastacembelus plagiostomus is a currently approved name for mastacembelus plagiostomA, caeomastacembelus(...) afromastacembelus (...) etc.

I noticed some imported specimen does not have the usual cream-salmon body, but have more grayish hew. I wonder it is just age problem or these are gray strains?
Does the color changes with maturity or not?

[Benoit]

Hello the valid name is Masacembelus plagiostomus.

Species that contain: mastacembelus and plagiostomus [ 1 ] records


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plagiostomus, Mastacembelus Matthes [H.] 1962:66, Pl. 4 (fig. c) [Annales du Musee Royal de l'Afrique Centrale Serie 8 Sciences Zoologiques No. 111; ref. 6071] Mulongwe (Uvira), Lake Tanganyika. Holotype: MRAC 130400. Paratypes: BMNH 1936.6.15.1746 (1); MRAC 130401 (1), 130402-04 (3), 131054 (1), 131129-30 (2). •Valid as Afromastacembelus plagiostomus (Matthes 1962) -- (Travers 1984:145 [ref. 5147], Gosse 1986:419 [ref. 6194]). •Valid as Caecomastacembelus plagiostomus (Matthes 1962). •Valid as Mastacembelus plagiostomus Matthes 1962 -- (Vreven 2005:1540 [ref. 28140], Vreven & Snoeks 2009:1019 [ref. 30552]). Current status: Valid as Mastacembelus plagiostomus Matthes 1962. Mastacembelidae. Distribution: Lake Tanganyika. Habitat: freshwater.

Genera that contain: mastacembelus [ 10 ] records


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Aethiomastacembelus Travers [R. A.] 1988:256 [ref. 6869]. Masc. Mastacembelus marchei Sauvage 1879. Type by original designation. •Valid as Aethiomastacembelus Travers 1988 -- (Lévêque et al. 1989:123 [ref. 26480], Paugy et al. 1990:343 [ref. 26477], Travers 1992:336 [ref. 14258], Travers in Lévêque et al. 1992:848 [ref. 21590], Poll & Gosse 1995:103 [ref. 24781], Vreven & Teugels 1996:136 [ref. 22026], Vreven & Teugels 1997:81 [ref. 22885], Seegers 1996:331 [ref. 23725], Brittan 1998:95 [ref. 24513], Vreven 2004:97 [ref. 27762]). •Synonym of Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777 -- (Vreven 2005:1540 [ref. 28140], Vreven 2007:549 [ref. 30080]). Current status: Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Mastacembelidae.

Afromastacembelus Travers [R. A.] 1984:145 [ref. 5147]. Masc. Mastacembelus tanganicae Günther 1894. Type by original designation. •Valid as Afromastacembelus Travers 1984 -- (Travers et al. 1986:415 [ref. 6221], Roberts & Travers 1986 [ref. 6759]). •Synonym of Caecomastacembelus Poll 1958 -- (Travers 1988 [ref. 6869], Lévêque et al. 1989:123 [ref. 26480], Seegers 1996:331 [ref. 23725]). •Synonym of Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Current status: Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Mastacembelidae.

Bdellorhynchus Jordan [D. S.] & Tanaka [S.] 1927:391 [ref. 2537]. Masc. Mastacembelus maculatus Cuvier 1832. Type by original designation (also monotypic). •Synonym of Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777 -- (Sufi 1956:105 [ref. 12498], Roberts 1989:180 [ref. 6439]). Current status: Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Mastacembelidae.

Caecomastacembelus Poll [M.] 1958:388 [ref. 3521]. Masc. Caecomastacembelus brichardi Poll 1958. Type by original designation (also monotypic). Also appeared as new in Poll 1959:112 [ref. 3522]. •Valid as Caecomastacembelus Poll 1958 -- (Travers 1984:144 [ref. 5147], Travers et al. 1986:421 [ref. 6221], Travers 1988 [ref. 6869], Lévêque et al. 1989:123 [ref. 26480], Paugy et al. 1990:343 [ref. 26477], Travers 1992:332 [ref. 14258], Travers in Lévêque et al. 1992:853 [ref. 21590], Poll & Gosse 1995:103 [ref. 24781], Seegers 1996:331 [ref. 23725], Vreven & Teugels 1996:136 [ref. 22026], Brittan 1998:95 [ref. 24513]). •Synonym of Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777 -- (Vreven 2005:1540 [ref. 28140], Vreven 2007:549 [ref. 30080]). Current status: Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Mastacembelidae.

Encheloclarias Myers [G. S.] in Herre & Myers 1937:66 [ref. 2123]. Masc. Heterobranchus tapeinopterus Bleeker 1852. Type by original designation (also monotypic). From the text, authorship of the freshwater part was by Herre and Myers, but this is in conflict with a statement on p. 53 that the descriptive matter is the work of the senior author excepting in Danio, Encheloclarias, and Mastacembelus. The latter statement is accepted for purposes of authorship of this taxon. •Valid as Encheloclarias Myers 1937 -- (Kottelat 1989:15 [ref. 13605], Roberts 1989:128 [ref. 6439], Ng & Lim 1993:22 [ref. 20827], Burgess & Finley 1996:165 [ref. 22901], Ng & Tan 2000:536 [ref. 25044], Ferraris 2007:149 [ref. 29155] with aurthorship as Herre & Myers). Current status: Encheloclarias Myers 1937. Clariidae.

Mastaccembelus Klein [J. T.] 1776:271 [ref. 4919]. Masc. Not available, published in a work that does not conform to the principle of binominal nomenclature. Not Mastacembelus of Gronow or Scopoli. •In the synonymy of Belone Cuvier 1816 -- (Collette 2003:13 [ref. 27306]). Current status: Belone Cuvier 1816. Belonidae.

Mastacembelus Gronow [L. T.] 1763:132 [ref. 1910]. Masc. Not available, published in a rejected work on Official Index (Opinion 261). Mastacembelidae.

Mastacembelus Scopoli [J. A.] (ex Gronow) 1777:458 [ref. 3990]. Masc. Ophidium [sic] mastacembelus Banks & Solander 1794. Type apparently by subsequent monotypy. Appeared first without species; addition of species not researched. Scopoli's spelling is Mastocembelus on Gronow's 1763 unavailable [Mastacembelus]; Scopoli's spelling regarded as in error (see Sufi 1956:106 [ref. 12498]; see also Wheeler 1956:91 [ref. 12499] for type species). •Valid as Mastacembelus Scoploi 1777 -- (Sufi 1956:105 [ref. 12498], Jayaram 1981:388 [ref. 6497], Travers 1984:143 [ref. 5147], Roberts 1986 [ref. 5802], Kottelat 1989:20 [ref. 13605], Roberts 1989:180 [ref. 6439], Ataur Rahman 1989:262 [ref. 24860], Zhong in Pan et al. 1991:518 [ref. 23876], Brittan 1998:95 [ref. 24513], Ataur Rahman 2003:286 [ref. 31338], Britz 2007:257 [ref. 29343], Vreven 2007:549 [ref. 30080], Vreven & Snoeks 2009:1019 [ref. 30552], Yang & Zhou 2011:325 [ref. 31298], Marshall 2011:260 [ref. 31755]). Current status: Mastacembelus Scopoli 1777. Mastacembelidae.

Mastacembelus Walbaum [J. J.] (ex Klein) 1792:581 [ref. 4572]. Masc. Not available, published in a part of work rejected for nomenclatural purposes in Opinion 21 (1938). Based on Klein 1744:21 [ref. 30141], with reference to 'Acus Aldrovandus, Hornfish or Garfish' of Willughby 1686:231, Pl. P.2, fig. 4 [ref. 30164]. Not Mastacembelus of Gronow or Scopoli. •In the synonymy of Belone Cuvier 1816 -- (Collette 2003:13 [ref. 27306]). Current status: Belone Cuvier 1815. Belonidae.

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Bye.

[Benoit]

I think the differences in color patterns may be due to diet, more or less rich in crustaceans (shrimp), so in carotenoids.

[mermaid]

Salute, Benoit!

You can be right here and it is worth trying to make a homemade food for them. Something like prawn fishcakes with paprika and turmeric. Good that they happen to like cooked prawns! Turmeric has quite a strong flavor, though.

I read some people recommend to mill and use dry shrimps from asian stores. But from my knowledge it has quite high sodium content. Would it be really OK to use it?

The other concern that color is different among the juveniles as well.
And after all, no matter how much caratenoids you feed an ellipsifer is will stay gray.
Do you make the food yourself or buying some commercial product?
I have used Tetra color in the past and my fish didn't like it.

[Benoit]

No accrod for dried shrimp.
Their diet is mainly centered around the eggs and larvae of fish, if you find eggs with fresh fish (not canned), you can give them, if fish spawn in their aquarium, they can also eat the eggs.
If you find, give pieces of fresh shrimp with the shell.

Bye.

[mermaid]

Hi there!
My eels are eating minced prawn which I blanch lightly with turmeric so the yellow pigment is adheres to the meat. They eat the eggs of my two lesbian angels and the eggs of boesmians which is being regularly spawn in the roots of water hyacinth.They seems to prefer it to raw shrimp, which they also take but very unwillingly. Mind you, they have a very healthy appetite! As soon as I come near the tank they swim to the glass and asking for food. I noticed now they are started to compete in their display and start pushing each other away, which they didn't do before.
My question now is how not overfeed them. I really can not refuse them a little treat of prawn every now and then. But may be I should, for their health sake?

[MGSNK]

Well that depends on how often they can feed on eggs. Prawns are a very healthy diet, so there is no problem in feeding it.
Just use high quality prawns, most prawns tend to be treated with chemicals which keep them fresh for a longer period of time, try avoiding those.

[mermaid]

Which prawns are of such quality? Here I buy them frozen in fishmongers. So I assume that was the way of their preservation.

[MGSNK]

Buy then at a local fish specialist and ask specifically for fresh unpreserved shrimps/prawns.

[Benoit]

Hello, and without salt.