European finless eel

📖 Overview

European finless eel (Apterichtus caecus), first described by Linnaeus, 1758 is a large fish in the family Ophichthidae (order Anguilliformes). Adults typically reach 60.00 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 0 to 85 metres. It occurs in Subtropical waters. Diet is predominantly piscivorous, targeting other fish and larger prey. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Least Concern.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Vertebrae: 132 - 139. This species is distinguished by the following characters: tail 1.6-1.7, head 12-15, and body depth 56-83 in total length; preopercular pores 4 and there are 5 pores in supratemporal canal; teeth conical and uniserial on jaws, becoming biserial on vomer of large specimens, vomerine teeth 8-14; when fresh body ochre in color with numerous small dark brown spots, those spots forming a continuous mid-dorsal band, yellowish on ventral surface; the head with dark brown spots over a pale background, a prominent horizontal white patch beneath and behind the orbit; MVF 52-134, total vertebrae 132-139 (n=6) .: eel-like; Cross section: oval.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for European finless eel is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 85 m . Subtropical; 46°N - 4°S, 32°W - 17°E south to Azores, Madeira, and the Canary islands.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 3 records indexed .

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