The eel (Monopterus albus) belongs to the order Monopteridae, family Monopteridae, genus Monopterus. Commonly known as eel, fish, eel, snake fish. English name: Ricefield eel.
The body is elongated and serpentine, rounded at the front and later laterally compressed, and the tail is pointed and thin. The head is long and round. The mouth is large, terminal, with a slightly protruding upper jaw and a rather developed lip. The upper and lower jaws and muzzle bones are finely toothed. Eyes small, covered by a thin skin. The left and right gill pores are united on the ventral surface in an inverted "V" shape. The gill membrane is attached to the gill isthmus. Body lubricated and scale-free. Pectoral and ventral fins absent; dorsal and anal fins reduced to skin folds, without spines, all united with the caudal fin. The body is yellowish brown with irregular black spots when living, and the body color of eels often varies with the environment in which they live.
The eel is a tropical and warm-temperate fish, a benthic fish, adaptable, in rivers, lakes, ditches and rice paddies can survive. Daytime like in more humus silt drilling holes or in the embankment of the rock gap in the water cave. Rarely active during the day, night out of the cave for food. Gills are not developed, but with the oral cavity and the laryngeal cavity of the inner wall of the epidermis as a respiratory auxiliary organs, can breathe air directly; in the water is very poor in oxygen, can also survive. Out of the water, as long as the skin is kept moist, within a few days will not die. Eel is to a variety of small animals for food omnivorous fish, sex greedy, summer feeding is the most exuberant, cold season can be a long time without food, but not to death.
The reproductive season of the eel is about June-August, in its individual development, with the characteristics of male and female sex reversal, that is, from the embryonic stage to the first sexual maturity are female (i.e., body length of 35 centimeters below the body of the individual's gonads all ovaries); spawning ovaries gradually become spermatic ovaries; body length of 36-48 centimeters, part of the sex reversal, male and female individuals are almost equal; growth to 53 centimeters or more are more The spermatheca is the spermatheca. Juveniles can only grow to 20 centimeters in the current year, and females reach maturity at two winters of age, with a body length of at least 34 centimeters. The largest individual can reach 70 centimeters and weigh 1.5 kilograms. Eel spawning in its burrow near the mouth of the hole, spawning before the mouth spit foam piled up into a nest, fertilized eggs in the foam with the help of the buoyancy of the foam, on the surface of the water to develop, both male and female fish have the habit of protecting the nest.
Distributed in southeastern Asia, China in addition to the western plateau, the country's waters are produced this fish. Overseas up to the western part of Korea, southern Japan, the Philippines, Java and Myanmar. Eel meat is tender and fresh. Nutritional value is very high. Every 1 hundred grams of eel meat protein content of 17.2-18.8 grams, fat 0.9-1.2 grams, calcium 38 mg, phosphorus 150 mg, iron 1.6 mg; in addition also contains thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (vitamin PP), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and other vitamins. Eel is not only used as a famous dish to entertain guests, in recent years, live exports, best-selling foreign countries, but also frozen eel exported to the Americas and other places. Eels are produced throughout the year, but the latter before the summer is the most fertile, folk "summer eel race ginseng," said.