Mastacembelidae

fire eel

Mastacembelus erythrotaenia

One Hundred Centimeters Eel of Asian Waters

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Freshwater fish
• Southeast Asia
• Anguilliform
• Large
• Tropical fish

The fire eel (Mastacembelus erythrotaenia) is a relatively large species of spiny eel. This omnivorous freshwater fish is native to Southeast Asia but is also found in the aquarium trade. Although it has declined locally (especially in parts of Cambodia and Thailand) due to overfishing, it remains common overall.