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Anguilla anguilla

(Common Eel, Eel, European Eel, River Eel, Silver Eel, Sing Eel, Weed Eel, Yellow Eel)

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

  • For the 31,420 species in the Class Actinopterygii (Ray-Finned Fishes), we average 66.73 observations each in our database; for the European Eel, we have 4,599 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is moderately common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the European Eel is the same as the trend in observations of Actinopterygii. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is yes, changes in observation rate of this species do not significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class.

Justification

Utilized fresh, dried or salted, smoked and frozen; can be fried, boiled and baked[1]. Obvious decreasing of the stocks for all the continental distribution area. Vulnerable[2].

Taxonomy

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  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians

Ambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Anguilla anguilla macrocephala De la Pylaie, 1835
  2. Anguilla fluviatilis Heckel & Kner, 1858
  3. Anguilla marina Nardo, 1860
  4. Anguilla septembrina Bonaparte, 1846
  5. Anguilla vulgaris fluviatilis Rafinesque, 1810

Unambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Angill angill (Linnaeus, 1758)
  2. Anguilla acutirostris Risso, 1827
  3. Anguilla aegyptiaca Kaup, 1856
  4. Anguilla altirostris Kaup, 1856
  5. Anguilla ancidda Kaup, 1856
  6. Anguilla anguillia (Linnaeus, 1758)
  7. Anguilla bibroni Kaup, 1856
  8. Anguilla brevirostris Cisternas, 1877
  9. Anguilla callensis Guichenot, 1850
  10. Anguilla canariensis Valenciennes, 1843
  11. Anguilla capitone Kaup, 1856
  12. Anguilla cloacina Bonaparte, 1846
  13. Anguilla cuvieri Kaup, 1856
  14. Anguilla eurystoma Heckel & Kner, 1858
  15. Anguilla fluviatilis Anslijin, 1828
  16. Anguilla hibernica Couch, 1865
  17. Anguilla kieneri Kaup, 1856
  18. Anguilla latirostris Risso, 1827
  19. Anguilla linnei Malm, 1877
  20. Anguilla marginata Kaup, 1856
  21. Anguilla mediorostris Risso, 1827
  22. Anguilla melanochir Kaup, 1856
  23. Anguilla microptera Kaup, 1856
  24. Anguilla migratoria Krøyer, 1846
  25. Anguilla morena Kaup, 1856
  26. Anguilla nilotica Heckel, 1846
  27. Anguilla nilotica Kaup, 1857
  28. Anguilla oblongirostris Blanchard, 1866
  29. Anguilla platycephala Kaup, 1856
  30. Anguilla platyrhynchus Costa, 1850
  31. Anguilla savignyi Kaup, 1856
  32. Anguilla vulgaris Shaw, 1803
  33. Leptocephalus brevirostris Kaup, 1856
  34. Muraena anguilla Linnaeus, 1758
  35. Muraena anguilla subsp. maculata Chiereghini, 1872
  36. Muraena oxyrhina Ekström, 1831
  37. Muraena platyrhina Ekström, 1831

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Data last modified by FishBase 25-Feb-1994

Physical Description

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Family Anguillidae:

Usually catadromous fishes in tropical and temperate waters, except eastern Pacific and south Atlantic. Eellike body with minute or embedded scales. Well developed pectorals but no pelvic fins; dorsal and caudal fin confluent with anal fin. All species are important food fishes and are sold fresh, smoked, or canned. Important aquaculture species based on captured juveniles (elvers); widely introduced. All spend their juvenile and adult live in freshwater, returning to the ocean to spawn and die. The leptocephalus larvae are marine. There is some doubt as to the validity of some of the fifteen species currently recognized.

The family Anguillidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Anguilliformes. It contains 1 genus and 15 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish, and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is anguilliform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the upper Miocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 70° n to 48° s and 107° w to 178° e. Etymology of this family name: Latin, anguilla, ae = eel

Species Anguilla anguilla:

Males are commonly 29 cm (Total Length)Feales are commonly 41 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 133 cm (Total Length). The largest male ever caught weighed 6599 grams; the largest female weighed 2850 grams.

Size/Age/Growth:

May live as long as 85 years in the wild, 4 years in captivity.

Images:

Distribution

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Aquatic Regions

Atlantic Ocean: Atlantic coast from Scandinavia to Morocco and rivers of North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean seas172, Ref. 51442). Continuous introductions to Asia and South and Central America, but not reproducing. Spawning area in western Atlantic (Sargasso Sea). Also distributed along the coast of Europe from the Black Sea to the White Sea. At least one country reports adverse ecological impact after introduction. Recent genomic DNA studies show that the European eel exhibits isolation by distance, implying that non-random mating and restricted gene flow among eels from different location exists[3].

Range and Population

Atlantic Ocean: Atlantic coast from Scandinavia to Morocco and rivers of North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean seas172, Ref. 51442). Continuous introductions to Asia and South and Central America, but not reproducing. Spawning area in western Atlantic (Sargasso Sea). Also distributed along the coast of Europe from the Black Sea to the White Sea. At least one country reports adverse ecological impact after introduction. Recent genomic DNA studies show that the European eel exhibits isolation by distance, implying that non-random mating and restricted gene flow among eels from different location exists[4].

Habitat

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They live on the bottom, under stones, in the mud or in crevices.

Biome

Fresh water, brackish water, saltwater. Demersal.

Reproduction

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Amphihaline species[5], which migrates to the depths of the Sargasso Sea to spawn172, Ref. 51442). Spawning takes place in late winter and spring in the Sargasso Sea[6]. The leptocephali larvae are brought to the coasts of Europe by the Gulf Stream in 7 to 11 months time[7] and can last for up to 3 years[8]. They are transformed into elvers, enter the estuaries and colonize the continental waters[9]. They evolve into small eels before moving into freshwater basins[10]. Young eels spend their growing period in freshwater, males for 6-12 years, females for 9-20 years, before ending their metamorphosis172, Ref. 51442). At the end of their growth period, they become sexually mature and the eels migrate to the sea where they inhabit deep waters. Adults do not feed during migration to sea. Gametogenesis occurs entirely during migration towards the Sargasso Sea. It occurs at temperatures ranging from 0-30¦C. Is an individualist in all its stages. The 'schools' of elvers and young eels which are observed from time to time in estuaries and rivers are a mass response to outward conditions and not of active assembling. Its food includes virtually the whole aquatic fauna (freshwater as well as marine) occurring in the eel's area, augmented with animals living out of water, e.g. worms[11]. At an age of 6-30 years, eels begin to undergo a remarkable series of changes, eyes are enlarged, head becomes pointed, skin on the back darker, while that on the belly becomes shiny and silvery. Best temperature for making eels sexually mature is 20-25¦C[12].

Migration

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Catadromous.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Anguilla:

There are approximately 70 species and subspecies in this genus: A. aneitensis · A. A. (Common Eel) · A. A. macrocephala · A. A. ornithorhyncha · A. A. oxycephala · A. A. rostrata · A. aucklandii · A. australis (Eel) · A. australis australis (Australian Short-Finned Eel) · A. australis occidentalis · A. australis schmidti · A. bengalensis (African Mottled Eel) · A. bengalensis bengalensis (European Eel) · A. bengalensis labiata (African Mottled Eel) · A. bicolor (Amalona) · A. bicolor bicolor (Amalona) · A. bicolor pacifica (Indian Short-Finned Eel) · A. bostoniensis · A. breviceps · A. celebesensis (Celebes Longfin Eel) · A. chrisypa · A. chryspa · A. chrysypa · A. dieffenbachii (Longfinned Eel) · A. fidjiensis · A. A. · A. interioris (Highlands Long-Finned Eel) · A. japonica (Eel) · A. japonicus · A. labrosa · A. leptocephali · A. macrops · A. malgumora (Indonesian Longfinned Eel) · A. manabei · A. manillensis · A. A. · A. marmorata (Giant Long-Finned Eel) · A. marmoratus · A. mauritana · A. bicolor subsp. bicolor · A. maurittiana · A. megastoma (Pacific Long-Finned Eel) · A. mossambica (African Longfin Eel) · A. mossambicus · A. mossameica · A. nebulosa (African Mottled Eel) · A. nebulosa elver · A. nebulosa labiata · A. nebulosa nebulosa · A. nigricans · A. obscura (Brown Eel) · A. otahaitensis · A. otaheitensis · A. pekinensis · A. reinhardtii (Australian Longfinned Eel) · A. rheinhardtii · A. rostata · A. rostrada · A. rostrata (American Eel) · A. A. · A. sidat · A. texana · A. tyrannus · A. vulagaris · A. vulgaris fluviatilis · A. vulgaris lacustus · A. vulgaris marina · A. vulgaris ornithorhincha · A. vulgaris platyura · A. vulgaris rostrata

Bibliography

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  • Anon. (1999). Systematic list of Estonian fishes. World Wide Web Electronic Publication, 14 January 2000.
  • Bauchot, M.-L. (1986). Anguillidae. p. 535-536. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. volume 2. UNESCO, Paris.
  • Blanc, M., J.L. Gaudet, P. Banarescu and J.C. Hureau (1971). European inland water fish: a multilingual catalogue. Fishing News (Books) Ltd. London.
  • Brito, A. (1991). Catalogo de los pesces de las Islas Canarias. Francisco Lemus, la Laguna. 230 p.
  • Castle, P.H.J. (1984). Anguillidae. p. 34-37. In J. Daget, J.-P. Gosse and D.F.E. Thys van den Audenaerde (eds.) Check-list of the freshwater fishes of Africa (CLOFFA). ORSTOM, Paris and MRAC, Tervuren. Vol. 1.
  • Coad, B.W. (1995). Freshwater fishes of Iran. Acta Sci. Nat. Acad. Sci. Brno. 29(1):1-64.
  • Deelder, C.L. (1984). Synopsis of biological data on the eel, Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758). FAO Fish. Synop. (80, Rev. 1):73 p.
  • Dekker, W, van Os B. and van Willigen J. (1998). Minimal and maximal size of eel. L'ANGUILLE EUROPEENNE. 10E REUNION DU GROUPE DE TRAVAIL "ANGUILLE" EIFAC/ICES.Bulletin Francais de Peche et Pecherie, Conseil superieur de la peche, Paris (France), 1998
  • Eschmeyer, William N., ed. 1998. Catalog of Fishes. Special Publication of the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information, no. 1, vol 1-3. California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco, California, USA. 2905. ISBN: 0-940228-47-5.
  • Flower, S.S. (1935). Further notes on the duration of life in animals. I. Fishes: as determined by otolith and scale-readings and direct observations on living individuals. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 2:265-304.
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (1992). FAO yearbook 1990. Fishery statistics. Catches and landings. FAO Fish. Ser. (38). FAO Stat. Ser. 70:(105):647 p.
  • Garibaldi, L. (1996). List of animal species used in aquaculture. FAO Fish. Circ. 914. 38 p.
  • International Game Fish Association (1991). World record game fishes. International Game Fish Association, Florida, USA.
  • Jonsson, G. (1992). Islenskir fiskar. Fiolvi, Reykjavik, 568 pp.
  • Keith, P., J. Allardi and B. Moutou (1992). Livre rouge des espèces menacées de poissons d'eau douce de France et bilan des introductions. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Secretariat de la Faune et de la Flore, Conseil Supérieur de la Peche, CEM
  • Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae secundum Classes, Ordinus, Genera, Species cum Characteribus, Differentiis Synonymis, Locis. 10th ed., Vol. 1. Holmiae Salvii. 824 p.
  • McCosker, J.E. (1989). Freshwater eels (Family Anguillidae) in California: current conditions and future scenarios. Calif. Fish and Game. 75(1):4-11.
  • Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Communications and Tourism and The Danish Tourist Board. (1994). Angling in Denmark. Statens information 6/94. Litotryk København, Denmark. (Folder, 1 p.)
  • Muus, B.J. and P. Dahlström (1968). Süßwasserfische. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, München. 224 p.
  • Reshetnikov, Y.S., N.G. Bogutskaya, E.D. Vasil'eva, E.A. Dorofeeva, A.M. Naseka, O.A. Popova, K.A. Savvaitova, V.G. Sideleva and L.I. Sokolov (1997). An annotated check-list of the freshwater fishes of Russia. J. Ichthyol. 37(9):687-736.
  • Shiino, Sueo M. 1976. List of Common Names of Fishes of the World, Those Prevailing among English-speaking Nations. Science Report of Shima Marineland, no. 4. Shima Marineland. Kashikojima, Shima, Mie, Japan. 262.
  • Welcomme, R.L. (1988). International introductions of inland aquatic species. FAO Fish. Tech. Pap. 294. 318 p.
  • Wheeler, A. (1992). A list of the common and scientific names of fishes of the British Isles. J. Fish Biol. 41(1):1-37.

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 20, 2007.
  • FishBase 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 24, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from provider.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 11, 2007:

Identifiers:

Footnotes:

  1. Frimodt, C. (1995). Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial coldwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p.
  2. Keith, P. and J. Allardi (coord.) (2001). Atlas des poissons d'eau douce de France. Patrimoines naturels, 47: 387 p. Paris: MNHN.
  3. Wirth, T. and L. Bernatchez (2001). Genetic evidence against panmixia in the European eel. Nature 409(6883):1037-1039.
  4. Wirth, T. and L. Bernatchez (2001). Genetic evidence against panmixia in the European eel. Nature 409(6883):1037-1039.
  5. "Murdannia stenothyrsa". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 31. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  6. McCleave, J.D., P.J. Brickley, K.M. O'Brien, D.A. Kistner, M.W. Wong, M. Gallagher and S.M. Watson (1998). Do leptocephali of the European eel swim to reach continental waters? Status of the question. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 78(1):285-306.
  7. "Murdannia stenothyrsa". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 31. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  8. Tesch, F.W. (1977). The eel biology and management of anguillid eels. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 434 p.
  9. "Murdannia stenothyrsa". in Flora of China Vol. 24 Page 31. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org.
  10. Keith, P., J. Allardi and B. Moutou (1992). Livre rouge des espèces menacées de poissons d'eau douce de France et bilan des introductions. Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Secretariat de la Faune et de la Flore, Conseil Supérieur de la Peche, CEM
  11. Deelder, C.L. (1984). Synopsis of biological data on the eel, Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758). FAO Fish. Synop. (80, Rev. 1):73 p.
  12. Muus, B.J. and J.G. Nielsen (1999). Sea fish. Scandinavian Fishing Year Book, Hedehusene, Denmark. 340 p.

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Last Revised: May 15, 2008