Anguilla bicolor bicolor

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Family : Freshwater eels; Lives in fresh water areas as an adult , in estuaries and seas as young[1]. Descends to the sea to spawn . Inhabits freshwater streams and pools , preferring marshy habitats [2]. Found in rivers and creeks , commonly over rock bottoms and in deeper pools. Seldom occurs in large rivers (Ref. 6028). Restricted to lowland (coastal) reaches of river systems (Ref. 7248). Feeds on small fishes , crustaceans and mollusks. Reported to breed east of Madagascar; the south equatorial current probably carries the eel larvae and elvers towards the east coast of Africa where local coastal currents guide the elvers to suitable rivers which they invade and they stay there until sexually mature , when they return to their breeding grounds [3]. Caught with various types of nets . Sometimes used in the aquarium trade[4].

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 837 meters (0 to 2,746 feet).[5]

Biome: Marine .

Biology

Migration

Catadromous .

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Anguilla amblodon Günther • Anguilla australis (non Richardson • Anguilla bicolor Mcclelland • Anguilla bleekeri Kaup • Anguilla cantori Kaup • Anguilla dussumieri Kaup • Anguilla malabarica Kaup • Anguilla mauritiana (non Bennet • Anguilla spengeli Weber • Anguilla virescens (Peters • Muraena macrocephala Rapp • Muraena mossambica (non Peters • Muraena virescens Peters

Similar Species

Members of the genus Anguilla

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 29 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. anguilla (European Eel) · A. anguilla rostrata (Freshwater Eel) · A. australis (Eel) · A. australis australis (Australian Short-Finned Eel) · A. bengalensis (African Mottled Eel) · A. bengalensis bengalensis (European Eel) · A. bengalensis labiata (African Mottled Eel) · A. bicolor (Indonesian Shortfin Ee) · A. bicolor bicolor (Amalona) · A. bicolor pacifica (Indian Short-Finned Eel) · A. celebesensis (Celebes Longfin Eel) · A. conger (New Zealand Longfin Eel) · A. dieffenbachii (New Zealand Longfin Eel) · A. interioris (Highlands Long-Finned Eel) · A. japonica (Freshwater Eel) · A. malgumora (Indonesian Longfinned Eel) · A. marmorata (Madagascar Mottled Eel) · A. megastoma (Polynesian Longfinned Eel) · A. mossambica (African Longfin Eel) · A. myriaster (Conger Eel) · A. nebulosa (African Mottled Eel) · A. nebulosa nebulosa (African Mottled Eel) · A. obscura (Pacific Shortfinned Freshwater Eel) · A. oceanica (American Conger) · A. pacifica (Indian Short-Finned Eel) · A. reinhardti (Australian Longfinned Eel) · A. reinhardtii (Australian Longfinned Eel) · A. rostrata (Freshwater Eel) · A. virescens (Highlands Rainbowfish)

More Info

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• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• Allen, G.R. (1989). Freshwater fishes of Australia. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• Bell-Cross, G. and J.L. Minshull (1988). The fishes of Zimbabwe. National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, Harare. 294 p.
• Bianchi, G. (1985). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine and brackish-water species of Tanzania. Prepared and published with the support of TCP/URT/4406 and FAO (FIRM) Regular Programme. FAO, Rome. 199 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.
• Department of Fisheries (1987). Annual fishery statistics. Ministry of Agriculture, Malaysia.
• Eccles, D.H. (1992). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Tanzania. FAO, Rome. 145 p.
• 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.
• Fricke, R. (1999). Fishes of the Mascarene Islands (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez): an annotated checklist, with descriptions of new species. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Theses Zoologicae, Vol. 31: 759 p.
• Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
• Keith, P., E. Vigneux and P. Bosc. (1999). Atlas des poissons et des crustacés d'eau douce de La Réunion. Patrimoines Naturels (M.N.H.N., Paris / S.P.N.), 39: 136p.
• Kottelat, M., A.J. Whitten, S.N. Kartikasari and S. Wirjoatmodjo (1993). Freshwater fishes of Western Indonesia and Sulawesi. Periplus Editions, Hong Kong. 221 p.
• Menon, A.G.K. (1999). Check list - fresh water fishes of India. p. 234-259. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, Misc. Publ., Occas. Pap. No. 175, 366 p.
• Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
• Pethiyagoda, R. (1991). Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo. 362 p.
• Rainboth, W.J. (1996). Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO Species Identification Field Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p.
• Randall, J.E. and C. Anderson (1993). Annotated checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Maldives Islands. Ichthyol. Bull. of the J.L.B. Smith Inst. of Ichthyol. 59:47.
• Reinthal, P.N. and M.L.J. Stiassny (1997). Revision of the Madagascan genus Ptychochromoides (Teleostei: Cichlidae), with description of a new species. Ichthyol. Explor. Freshwat. 7(4):353-368.
• Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott (1991). World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (
• Shen, S.C. (ed.) (1993). Fishes of Taiwan. Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei. 960 p.
• 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.
• Skelton, P.H. (1993). A complete guide to the freshwater fishes of southern Africa. Southern Book Publishers (Pty) Ltd., 388 p.
• Smith, D. G. / Carpenter, Kent E., and Volker H. Niem, eds. 1999. Anguillidae: Freshwater eels. FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes: The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific, vol. 3: Batoid fishes, chimaeras and Bony fishes, part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rome, Italy. 1630-1636. ISBN: 92-5-104302-7.
• Smith, D.G. (1997). Anguillidae. Freshwater eels. p. 1630-1636. In K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the WCP. Vol. 3. Batoid fishes, chimaeras and bony fishes part 1 (Elopidae to Linophrynidae). FAO, Rome.
• Smith, J.L.B. and M.M. Smith (1963). The fishes of Seychelles. Rhodes University, Grahamstown. 215 p.
• Talwar, P.K. and A.G. Jhingran (1991). Inland fishes of India and adjacent countries. Volume 1. A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam. 541 p.
• U Hla Win (1987). Checklist of fishes of Burma. Ministry of Livestock Breeding and Fisheries, Department of Fisheries, Burma.

Notes

Contributors

• Allen, Gerald R. (from FishBase).
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• Froese, R., and D. Pauly. FishBase 2004. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 14, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 10 providers.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2505364
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-29636
• Fishbase Species ID: 1274
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13597979
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 102123

Footnotes

1. Rainboth, W.J. (1996). Fishes of the Cambodian Mekong. FAO Species Identification Field Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome, 265 p. [back]
2. Menon, A.G.K. (1999). Check list - fresh water fishes of India. p. 234-259. Rec. Zool. Surv. India, Misc. Publ., Occas. Pap. No. 175, 366 p. [back]
3. Bell-Cross, G. and J.L. Minshull (1988). The fishes of Zimbabwe. National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, Harare. 294 p. [back]
4. Pethiyagoda, R. (1991). Freshwater fishes of Sri Lanka. The Wildlife Heritage Trust of Sri Lanka, Colombo. 362 p. [back]
5. Mean = -2,124.000 meters (-6,968.504 feet), Standard Deviation = 2,398.340 based on 51 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.