The only species of swamp eel native to North America is the fatlips swampeel,
Ophisternon aenigmaticum, down in Vereacruz, Mexico. This family (Synbranchidae)
is widely distributed in tropical regions of both Old and New Worlds. Many of
the species burrow, don't have much in the way of eyes, and are capable of some
form of air breathing.
C. infernale lives in caves in the Yucatan (which, zoogeographically speaking,
is not part of the North American faunal realm). As you suspected, it is listed
as endangered on Mexico's list.
Swamp eels are aggressive predators. The Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus) is
now a big nuisance exotic in Florida. A few years ago I attended a lecture given
by Central American cichlid guru Rusty Wessel; he encountered swamp eels while
seining for cichlids and had only this to say: "They bite."
I collected a swamp eel (Synbranchus marmoratus) in Peru and brought it home. It
shared a small plastic terrarium partially filled with water sutting on a window
sill with a South American lungfsh (Lepidosiren paradoxa), collected as the same
location as the swamp eel. I kept a divider between the two species. After about
2 years, I one day found the swamp eel dead, its head crushed. Nothing else was
it its tank. The terrarium hood was firmly closed so nothing could get in or
out. It was impossible for the lungfsh to swim over the divider. Its death is a
mystery to me to this day.
(The lungfish is still kicking. It outgrew its terrarium and is now holding
court in a tank full of discus and cardinals. It is my most prized fish. It is
diurnally active, eats anything--but leaves the other fish alone--and is a lot
of fun to watch.) And to think I brought him home from Peru in a Nalgene jar in
my backpack!)
Chris Scharpf
Baltimore
----------
From: DasArm_at_aol.com
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Subject: NANFA-- Ophisternon infernale the blind swamp eel
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 22:49:43 EST
I saw a photo of this fish on the NFC web page. I was curious about where it
comes from, what sources that it might be obtained from, and whether or not
it might be endangered or threatened (probably is, the way things are going
). I'd also like to know about how aggressive it might or might not be.
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/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org