Polynesian longfinned eel (Anguilla megastoma)

Scientific name: Anguilla megastoma Kaup, 1856

Polynesian longfinned eel (Anguilla megastoma)

The Polynesian longfinned eel (Anguilla megastoma) is a freshwater fish of the family Anguillidae. Native range: Pacific Ocean, Sulawesi, Indonesia to the Society Islands. Also recorded from Pitcairn.

Biology

Vertebrae: 110 - 114. The only species that can be either variegated or plain-colored. Mottled individuals most closely resemble Anguilla celebensis and A. interioris in having broad, undivided tooth bands, but their ranges do not overlap. Plain-colored individuals most closely resemble A. japonica and A. borneensis, but those species both geographically distant. A. obscura is also plain-colored but has a shorter dorsal fin. The skin is grey to yellowish and more or less spotted with brown or black. It can be sometimes uniformly brownish red on the flanks and the back. The belly is white. Young specimens are grey and do not have spots.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Anguilla megastoma
Family
Anguillidae (Freshwater eels)
Order
Anguilliformes (Eels and Morays)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
100.0
Environment
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Pacific Ocean: Sulawesi, Indonesia to the Society Islands. Also recorded from Pitcairn.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: commercial
Resilience
Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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