Skip to main content
  • Visit
  • Learn
  • Collections + Research
  • News + Blogs
  • About + Support

Florida Museum

  • Search
  • Visit
  • Learn
  • Collections + Research
  • News + Blogs
  • About + Support
  • For Educators
  • Discover
    • Outreach
    • Learning Resources
    • Life on Earth
    • Cultural Heritage
    • Fossils + Paleontology
    • The Value of Museums

Discover Fishes

Spotfin Spiny Eel

  • Discover Fishes
    • Fish
      • Fishes in the Fresh Waters of Florida Gallery
      • Fish FAQ
      • Fish Groups
      • Fish Anatomy
        • Features & Measurements
        • Mouth Types
        • Tooth Types & Patches
        • Gill Arch & Scale Types
        • Spines, Rays & Caudal Fins
      • How Fish Swim
      • Fish Adaptions
      • Fish Species Profiles
    • Sawfish
      • Sawfish FAQ
      • Anatomy
      • Biology
      • Conservation & Research
      • Sawfish Myths
      • Species Profiles
    • Sharks
      • Sharks FAQ
      • Anatomy
      • Biology
      • Conservation & Research
      • Species Profiles
      • Atlantic Shark ID Guide
      • Shark Fishing in the U.S.
      • Megamouth Sightings
      • Fossil Sharks
        • Fossil Shark Basics
        • Fossil Shark Teeth
        • Fossil Shark Teeth ID Guide
      • Shark Books For Kids
      • Shark Attack FAQ
      • How to Avoid Shark Attacks
    • Skates & Rays
      • Skates & Rays FAQ
      • Anatomy
      • Biology
      • Conservation & Research
      • Stingray ID Guide
      • Species Profiles
    • Species Profiles
    • General Topics
      • Careers in Ichthyology
      • How to Become a Biologist
      • About the Endangered Species Act
    • Teaching Resources
      • Sawfish Classroom Activities
      • Shark Classroom Activities
      • Shark Dissection
      • Ray & Skate Classroom Activities
      • Glossary
    • Related Museum Research
      • International Shark Attack File
      • Florida Program for Shark Research
      • Sawfish Conservation + Research
      • Florida Museum Fish Collection

Macrognathus siamensis
(Günther 1861)
Family Mastacembelidae

Lateral view of a spotfin spiny eel
The spotfin spiny eel pictured above was collected in Miami-Dade County, Florida in 2014. It is now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection, UF 236679. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The spotfin spiny eel is a member of the freshwater spiny eel family. Its body is elongate, eel-like and strongly compressed, and this species has a long, slender snout along with a long protruding anterior nostril. There are between three and six large ocelli in a row along the lower portions of the dorsal and caudal fins. The spotfin spiny eel can be found in canals with little or no current and adjacent wetlands in the Everglades.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Non-indigenous freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Peninsula drainages
  • River Drainages — Tampa Bay and the Everglades
View species in collection database New gallery search

Contact Info

Florida Museum of Natural History
Gainesville, FL 32611
352-392-1721 (Research) or
352-846-2000 (Exhibits)

Florida Museum Newsletters

Subscribe Now

Museum Info

Exhibits Building Closed for Renovations

  • Learn More
  • Staff Directory

Legal

  • © Copyright 2025
  • Contact the Web Manager
  • This page uses Google Analytics
  • Google Privacy Policy
  • UF Privacy Policy
  • Social Media
  • Log In
  • Page Last Updated: 08/19/2022
Florida Museum of Natural History logo University of Florida logo
1 / 1