https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Bombay_swamp_eelBombay swamp eel - Revision history2026-10-29T18:04:13ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bombay_swamp_eel&diff=492151&oldid=prevTrainscafe: started new article2025-09-29T18:48:26Z<p>started new article</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Species of fish}}<br />
{{Speciesbox<br />
| image = <br />
| status = VU<br />
| status_system = IUCN3.1<br />
| status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn | author = Dahanukar, N. | year = 2011 | title = ''Monopterus indicus'' | article-number = e.T13721A4354702 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T13721A4354702.en|access-date=6 August 2023}}</ref><br />
| taxon = Ophichthys indicus<br />
| authority = ([[Eric Godwin Silas|Silas]] & [[Egbert Dawson|E. Dawson]], 1961)<br />
| synonyms = ''Amphipnous indicus'' <small>Silas & Dawson, 1961</small> <br /><br />
''Monopterus indicus''<br />
| synonyms_ref = <ref name = Fishbase>{{Fishbase|Monopterus|indicus|month=August|year=2019}}</ref><br />
}}<br />
<br />
The '''Bombay swamp eel''' ('''''Ophichthys indicus'''''), also known as the '''paytop''' in [[Marathi language|Marathi]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|date=October 26, 2019|first=Himanshu|last=Nitnaware|title=Unique snake-like fish may go extinct in Western Ghats|url=https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/civic/unique-snake-like-fish-may-go-extinct-in-western-ghats/articleshow/71766587.cms|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Pune Mirror|language=en}}</ref> is a species of [[fish]] in the family [[Synbranchidae]]. It is [[Endemism|endemic]] to the state of [[Maharashtra]] in [[India]].<ref name = iucn/><br />
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== Taxonomy ==<br />
It was at first classified in the genus ''Amphipnous'', but it was later moved to ''[[Monopterus]]''. However a 2020 study found it to form a distinct clade with about 4 other species also previously classified in ''Monopterus'', and the genus ''[[Ophichthys]]'' was thus revived to contain them.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Ophichthys desilvai'', a poorly known synbranchid eel from Sri Lanka (Teleostei: Synbranchidae)|url=https://pfeil-verlag.de/publikationen/ophichthys-desilvai-a-poorly-known-synbranchid-eel-from-sri-lanka/|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Pfeil Verlag|language=de-DE}}</ref><br />
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== Distribution ==<br />
This species is thought to be endemic to the northern [[Western Ghats]] of India, in the state of [[Maharashtra]]. It is currently known from 5-10 localities: [[Robber's Cave (Maharashtra)|Robber's Cave]] and [[Dhobi Falls]] in [[Mahabaleshwar]], Kanheri Falls near [[Kanheri Caves]] in [[Mumbai]], and the [[Tamhini Ghat|Tamhini]] and [[Tail Baila]] areas in [[Pune]]. However, it is thought to occur in other localities as well.<ref name="iucn" /> <br />
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== Habitat ==<br />
The species inhabits [[Swamp|swamps]] and marshy areas associated with hill streams. During the early part of the [[monsoon]] season, adult individuals [[Fish migration|migrate]] upstream to breed. Inside caves, ''O. indicus'' is known to hide inside piles of [[Guano|bat guano]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Gupta|first=Atula|date=2019-11-08|title=How to Save a Fish that Looks and Acts Like a Snake|url=http://indiasendangered.com/how-to-save-a-fish-that-looks-and-acts-like-a-snake/|access-date=2021-01-29|website=India's Endangered|language=en-US}}</ref> In the [[Sahyadri Tiger Reserve]], this species is known from small rock-filled puddles that dot the [[Laterite|lateritic]] [[Plateau|plateaus]] such as the Kargaon plateau during the monsoon season.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Karthik|first=P.|title=The Swamp Eel (''Monopterus indicus'') and the Laterite Plateau, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve|url=https://www.academia.edu/34238266|language=en}}</ref> It can also survive in less conventional habitats; in 2012, while workers were cleaning a [[Anaerobic digestion|biogas plant]] in Pune, a live ''O. indicus'' was found in a heap of [[Cow dung fuel|cow dung]] even though the plant had been closed for over 8 years at that point, and had almost no water.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Deshpand|first=Devidas|date=September 25, 2012|title=Rare catch delights conservationists|url=https://punemirror.indiatimes.com/pune/cover-story/rare-catch-delights-conservationists/articleshow/31603246.cms|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Pune Mirror|language=en}}</ref> <br />
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== Behavior ==<br />
They are [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]] and during the daytime, they stay buried underneath boulders or hang to tree roots along the edges of streams. They are [[obligate]] [[Amphibious fish|air breathers]] and prefer to float on the surface of the water to breathe, then dive for 3-5 minutes before returning to the surface. They primarily feed on [[Earthworm|earthworms]] by creating a vacuum with their mouths and sucking them in.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|date=April 6, 2015|first=Ananya|last=Dutta|title=Swamp eel is a fish that looks and behaves more like a snake |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/swamp-eel-is-a-fish-that-looks-and-behaves-more-like-a-snake/articleshow/46818849.cms|access-date=2021-01-29|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> In an example of [[Batesian mimicry]], if an ''O. indicus'' is threatened, it can bare its fangs in a way similar to a snake.<ref name=":0" /> They can also burrow into the mud and use a mucus secreted from their body to fully retract inside if a threat is detected.<ref name=":3" /><br />
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== Status ==<br />
''O. indicus'' is considered [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]]. Habitat alterations caused by [[urbanization]], [[deforestation]], and [[Recreation|recreational activities]] on the mountain tops are common in the northern Western Ghats, and can severely affect the fish. Until the 1980s, the species was abundant in the [[Satara district]], but since then there have been no sightings until an individual was found in a closed-down biogas plant in 2012.<ref name=":2" /> A 2019 study found the species to be on the verge of extinction, primarily due to [[Roadkill|roadkills]]; during the monsoon season, aggregations of ''O. indicus'' can form that crawl over the road, making them at risk from oncoming vehicles; this has been implicated in the species being [[Local extinction|extirpated]] from some areas such as [[Lonavala]] and [[Tamhini Ghat]]. Plateau habitats are prime targets for [[Wind farm|wind farms]] and [[deforestation]], which can destroy critical habitat. Other plateau populations are affected by blasting to make way for plantations, quarrying for laterite rock, use of plateaus for residential purposes, and use as a [[dumping site]] for city waste. Populations can survive on [[Agriculture|agricultural]] land, but they are at risk of being affected by [[Agricultural wastewater treatment|fertilizer runoff]], and are often mistaken for snakes and killed. Factories also release large amounts of [[effluent]] into their habitat. [[Climate change]] also affects the species by leading to reduced and/or increasingly erratic rainfall patterns. Major conservation actions will be required to save the species from extinction.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q3318020}}<br />
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[[Category:Cave fish]]<br />
[[Category:Fish of India]]<br />
[[Category:Ophichthys]]<br />
[[Category:Fish described in 1961]]<br />
[[Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot]]<br />
[[Category:Endemic fauna of India]]<br />
[[Category:Freshwater fish of India]]<br />
[[Category:Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN]] <!-- Ophichthys indicus --></div>Trainscafe