ANGUILLA REINHARDTII - (STEINDACHNER, 1867)
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Superclass) > Teleostei (Class) > Anguilliformes (Order) > Anguilloidei (Suborder) > Anguillidae (Family) > Anguilla (Genus)
Synonyme
Anguilla reinhardti (Steindachner, 1867)
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Description
Pectoral fins rays: 16-20; Vertebrae: 104-110. Body large, elongate, cylindrical (depth: 6-8% SL); Head moderately small (12-18% SL); Eyes small; Mouth large, horizontal, usually reaching just beyond eyes; Teeth fine, a narrow band in jaws and on vomer, vomerine patch about as long as bands laterally in jaws; Maxillary teeth separated by a toothless groove; Gill openings small, just forward of lower half of pectoral fin bases; Lateral line straight, not associated with scales. Scales tiny, elongate, embedded, arranged in a basket-work pattern. Dorsal, caudal and anal fins united to form one continuous fin; Dorsal fin origin well in front of vertical line drawn through anus (distance between the two: 8-14% TL); Pectoral fins prominent; Ventral fins absent. Max. length: 300.0 cm TL (landlocked fish), 165.0 cm TL (male), 158.0 cm TL (female), common length: 100.0 cm TL. Max. published weight: 22.0 kg; Max. reported age: 41 years but can live longer. Depth range: 0 - 3000 m.
Color
Adults and elvers are distinctly mottled or marbled with olive-green to brown markings, and a paler underside. Adults returning to sea are overall silvery, with a mottled underside, and often yellowish pectoral fins. Leptocephali and glass eels are mostly transparent with the muscle bands visible internally.
Etymology
Anguilla: from Latin, anguis = snake. Referring to snake-like body shape (tautonymous with Muraena anguilla Linnaeus, 1758).
reinhardtii: in honor of Danish zoologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt (1816–1882), Director of the National Natural History Museum, Copenhagen.
Original description: Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner, 1867 - Type locality: Fitzroy River, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occur in coastal lagoons, rivers, streams, lakes, swamps and farm dams, but prefers riverine habitats. Usually found in deep waters of reservoirs well away from the shore. Mainly nocturnal feeders. Feed on crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic and terrestrial insects, fish including elvers and native trout and occasionally juvenile waterfowl. A reasonably good angling fish.
The sexes separate and Pease et al (2004) found no evidence of hermaphroditism in Longfin Eels. The species is catadromous, and adults may remain in freshwater environments for more than 50 years before migrating to the Coral Sea to spawn in depths greater than 400 m. The small pelagic eggs float towards the surface. The leptocephalus larvae are transparent, elongate, compressed and leaf-like. Leptocephali are believed to be transported to the continental shelf by oceanic currents before metamorphosing into transparent eel-shaped "glass eels", followed by pigmented elvers as they reach coastal waters. During this metamorphosis, a reduction in body length and width and loss of teeth occurs. Glass eels enter estuaries at about 58 mm TL, where they undergo physiological changes to cope with reduced salinities. The eels develop rapidly as they migrate up estuaries, and become fully pigmented "elvers" with teeth and well-developed stomachs. This is followed by a second upstream migration into freshwater as silver eels with a dark dorsal surface and pale underside.
Freshwater eels have long been a popular food source for Aboriginal people in eastern Australia and have strong cultural significance. Eels have been caught with a variety of methods, including fish traps, lures, hook and line and natural poisons derived from plants. Longfin Eels have been targeted commercially in Australia since the 1950's or 60's. Although four commercial fisheries target Longfin Eels in eastern Australia, most are harvested in the estuarine trap fishery which targets large yellow eels. Relatively small numbers of glass eels (post-larvae migrating from the sea to freshwaters) are caught with fyke nets in upper estuarine areas to be grown up in the aquaculture industry. Other small fisheries targets small male yellow and juvenile eels and larger eels in impoundments. Most eels caught in the estuarine trap fishery are exported live to China (including Hong Kong) and elsewhere in Asia.
Similar species
Last update: 15, July 2023
Anguille de Reinhardt, Anguille tachetée, Longfin eel, Australian longfinned eel, Conger eel, Freshwater eel, Long-fin eel, Longfinned eel, Long-finned eel, Marbled eel, River eel, Speckled longfin eel, Spotted eel, 宽鳍鳗鲡,
Synonyme
Anguilla reinhardti (Steindachner, 1867)
---------------------------
Description
Pectoral fins rays: 16-20; Vertebrae: 104-110. Body large, elongate, cylindrical (depth: 6-8% SL); Head moderately small (12-18% SL); Eyes small; Mouth large, horizontal, usually reaching just beyond eyes; Teeth fine, a narrow band in jaws and on vomer, vomerine patch about as long as bands laterally in jaws; Maxillary teeth separated by a toothless groove; Gill openings small, just forward of lower half of pectoral fin bases; Lateral line straight, not associated with scales. Scales tiny, elongate, embedded, arranged in a basket-work pattern. Dorsal, caudal and anal fins united to form one continuous fin; Dorsal fin origin well in front of vertical line drawn through anus (distance between the two: 8-14% TL); Pectoral fins prominent; Ventral fins absent. Max. length: 300.0 cm TL (landlocked fish), 165.0 cm TL (male), 158.0 cm TL (female), common length: 100.0 cm TL. Max. published weight: 22.0 kg; Max. reported age: 41 years but can live longer. Depth range: 0 - 3000 m.
Color
Adults and elvers are distinctly mottled or marbled with olive-green to brown markings, and a paler underside. Adults returning to sea are overall silvery, with a mottled underside, and often yellowish pectoral fins. Leptocephali and glass eels are mostly transparent with the muscle bands visible internally.
Etymology
Anguilla: from Latin, anguis = snake. Referring to snake-like body shape (tautonymous with Muraena anguilla Linnaeus, 1758).
reinhardtii: in honor of Danish zoologist Johannes Theodor Reinhardt (1816–1882), Director of the National Natural History Museum, Copenhagen.
Original description: Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner, 1867 - Type locality: Fitzroy River, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
Distribution
Southwestern Pacific: Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occur in coastal lagoons, rivers, streams, lakes, swamps and farm dams, but prefers riverine habitats. Usually found in deep waters of reservoirs well away from the shore. Mainly nocturnal feeders. Feed on crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic and terrestrial insects, fish including elvers and native trout and occasionally juvenile waterfowl. A reasonably good angling fish.
The sexes separate and Pease et al (2004) found no evidence of hermaphroditism in Longfin Eels. The species is catadromous, and adults may remain in freshwater environments for more than 50 years before migrating to the Coral Sea to spawn in depths greater than 400 m. The small pelagic eggs float towards the surface. The leptocephalus larvae are transparent, elongate, compressed and leaf-like. Leptocephali are believed to be transported to the continental shelf by oceanic currents before metamorphosing into transparent eel-shaped "glass eels", followed by pigmented elvers as they reach coastal waters. During this metamorphosis, a reduction in body length and width and loss of teeth occurs. Glass eels enter estuaries at about 58 mm TL, where they undergo physiological changes to cope with reduced salinities. The eels develop rapidly as they migrate up estuaries, and become fully pigmented "elvers" with teeth and well-developed stomachs. This is followed by a second upstream migration into freshwater as silver eels with a dark dorsal surface and pale underside.
Freshwater eels have long been a popular food source for Aboriginal people in eastern Australia and have strong cultural significance. Eels have been caught with a variety of methods, including fish traps, lures, hook and line and natural poisons derived from plants. Longfin Eels have been targeted commercially in Australia since the 1950's or 60's. Although four commercial fisheries target Longfin Eels in eastern Australia, most are harvested in the estuarine trap fishery which targets large yellow eels. Relatively small numbers of glass eels (post-larvae migrating from the sea to freshwaters) are caught with fyke nets in upper estuarine areas to be grown up in the aquaculture industry. Other small fisheries targets small male yellow and juvenile eels and larger eels in impoundments. Most eels caught in the estuarine trap fishery are exported live to China (including Hong Kong) and elsewhere in Asia.
Similar species
- Anguilla australis (Richardson, 1841) - Reported from New Caledonia. Long cylindrical bodies, and continuous dorsal, caudal and anal fins with the dorsal fin originating above or slightly in front of the anal fin.
- Anguilla marmorata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Anguilla megastoma (Kaup, 1856) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Anguilla obscura (Günther, 1872) - Reported from New Caledonia. Varying from silver or yellowish to dark brown on the dorsal and lateral surfaces, becoming paler ventrally. The dorsal fin originates before the anus, just in front of, or level with the anal fin origin, and the jaws reach beyond the eye.
Last update: 15, July 2023