Typhlosynbranchus Explained

Typhlosynbranchus is a genus of swamp eels that are native to West and Central Africa. It contains two species that were formerly classified in the primarily Asian genus Monopterus.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Taxonomy

The genus was originally formed by Jacques Pellegrin in 1922 for the Liberian swamp eel, but later studies synonymized it with Monopterus. However, a 2020 study found significant divergence between the two taxa and revived the genus for M. boueti and the recently described M. luticolus.

Species

One of the two species, T. boueti, is primarily found in aquatic environments, while the other (T. luticolus) has a fossorial lifestyle in inundated soil.

• Typhlosynbranchus boueti (Pellegrin, 1922) (Liberian swamp eel)
• Typhlosynbranchus luticolus Britz, Doherty-Bone, Kouete, D. Sykes & Gower, 2016 ^[4]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Osteology of 'Monopterus' roseni with the description of Rakthamichthys, new genus, and comments on the generic assignment of the Amphipnous Group species (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes). 2021-01-28. Pfeil Verlag. de-DE.
2. Web site: ITIS Standard Report Page: Typhlosynbranchus. 2021-01-28. www.itis.gov.
3. Web site: Mindat.org. 2021-01-28. www.mindat.org.
4. Britz, R., Doherty-Bone, T.M., Kouete, M.T., Sykes, D. & Gower, D.J. (2016): Monopterus luticolus, a new species of swamp eel from Cameroon (Teleostei: Synbranchidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 27 (4): 309-323.