Short-finned eel (Anguilla australis australis)

Scientific name: Anguilla australis australis Richardson, 1841

The Short-finned eel (Anguilla australis australis) is a freshwater fish of the family Anguillidae.

Biology

Occur in streams, lakes and swamps. More likely inhabits slow flowing streams or still waters. Feed on fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, aquatic plants, and terrestrial and aquatic insects. This species does not breed outside its Pacific spawning ground. Migrates to the sea to breed. Maximum length for female eel taken from. Migrating females in Lake Ellesmere (Canterbury, New Zealand) were reported to be in the range of 48.3 to 102.4 cm, larger than for males 33.8 to 55.4 cm. Despite its slimy appearance, its flesh is of excellent quality, considered a delicacy in many countries; meat suitable for smoking.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Anguilla australis australis
Family: Anguillidae (Freshwater eels)
Order: Anguilliformes (Eels and Morays)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 130
Common length: 65
Environment: Marine; freshwater; brackish; benthopelagic; catadromous; depth range 0 - ? m
Climate: Subtropical
Distribution: Southwest Pacific: east coast of Australia and New Zealand, extending north to New Caledonia. Museum records from Fiji and Tahiti are doubtful. Australian and New Zealand forms sometimes recognized as subspecies. Most easily confused with Anguilla obscura and the surest way of distinguishing them is to count the vertebrae. Reported from Western and American Samoa.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes
Resilience: Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (tm=8-30; Fec=3,000,000)

Sources

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

Last updated 27 September 2026