The European eel is a species of eel. Their life history was a mystery for thousands of years, and mating in the wild has not yet been observed. The five stages of their development were originally thought to be different species. They are critically endangered due to hydroelectric dams, overfishing by fisheries on coasts for human consumption, and parasites.
The daggertooth pike conger also known as the darkfin pike eel in Australia, to distinguish it from the related pike-eel, is a species of eel in the pike conger family, Muraenesocidae. They primarily live on soft bottoms in marine and brackish waters down to a depth of 800 m (2,600 ft), but may enter freshwater. They commonly grow to about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length, but may grow as long as 2.2 m (7.2 ft). Daggertooth pike congers occur in the Red Sea, on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean, and in the West Pacific from Indochina to Japan. A single specimen was also reported in the Mediterranean Sea off Israel in 1982.
Nettastomatidae, the duckbill eels or witch eels are a family of eels. The name is from νῆττα and στόμα.
The New Zealand longfin eel, also known as ōrea, is a species of freshwater eel that is endemic to New Zealand. It is the largest freshwater eel in New Zealand and the only endemic species – the other eels found in New Zealand are the native shortfin eel, also found in Australia, and the naturally introduced Australian longfin eel. Longfin eels are long-lived, migrating to the Pacific Ocean near Tonga to breed at the end of their lives. They are good climbers as juveniles and so are found in streams and lakes a long way inland. An important traditional food source for Māori, who name them ōrea, longfin eel numbers are declining and they are classified as endangered, but over one hundred tonnes are still commercially fished each year.
Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali. Leptocephali larvae differ so much in appearance from their adults. When first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fish, not an eel specie. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for an unidentified leptocephali. After it was known that these were eel larvae, it was identified to be part of a wastebasket taxon, but not anymore in the present classification system. Examples of marine congrid larvae, found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea that were named this way are listed below. Only two species in two families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.
The barred moray, also known as the banded moray, the dark-banded eel, the girdled moray, the girdled reef eel, the many banded moray eel, the ringed moray, the ringed reef moray, the striped moray and the zebra eel,) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae. It was described by John Richardson in 1845, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Hawaiian Islands, the Marquesan Islands, the Tuamotus Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. It dwells at a depth range of 2 to 20 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle in reefs and shallow lagoons. Males can reach a maximum total length of 72.3 centimetres (28.5 in). It is sometimes confused with the Zebra moray (Gymnomuraena).
The snowflake moray, also known as the clouded moray among many vernacular names, is a species of marine eel of the family Muraenidae. It has blunt teeth ideal for its diet of crustaceans, a trait it shares with the zebra moray.
Myrichthys colubrinus, the banded snake eel, ringed snake eel or harlequin snake eel, is a snake eel from the Indo-Pacific. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 97 cm (38 in) in length.
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage and are usually predators.
Nettenchelys bellottii is a species of duckbill eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It is found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. This species is only known from larvae.
Nettastoma is a genus of eels in the duckbill eel family Nettastomatidae.
Saurenchelys is a genus of eels in the duckbill eel family Nettastomatidae.
Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from five centimetres (2 in) to four metres (13 ft). Adults range in weight from 30 grams to over 25 kilograms. They possess no pelvic fins, and many species also lack pectoral fins. The dorsal and anal fins are fused with the caudal or tail fin, forming a single ribbon running along much of the length of the animal. Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, or amongst rocks. A majority of eel species are nocturnal and thus are rarely seen. Sometimes, they are seen living together in holes, or "eel pits". Some species of eels live in deeper water on the continental shelves and over the slopes deep as 4,000 metres (13,000 ft). Only members of the family Anguillidae regularly inhabit fresh water, but they too return to the sea to breed.
The Indo-Pacific shorttail conger, also known as the short-tail conger, is an eel in the family Colocongridae. It was described by Chan William Lai-Yee in 1967. It is a marine, deep-water dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including southern Mozambique, Natal, South Africa, the South China Sea, and eastern Australia. It dwells at a maximum depth of 810 metres (2,660 ft). Males are known to reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
The blacktail buckbill eel, also known commonly as the blacktail duckbill, or the duckbill eel in Malaysia, is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder in 1901, originally under the genus Chlopsis. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including Japan, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 100 to 500 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 50 centimeters (20 in).
Saurenchelys finitima, also known as the Whitsunday wire eel is a species of eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Gilbert Percy Whitley in 1935, originally under the genus Chlopsis. It is a marine, tropical eel which is endemic to Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean.
Saurenchelys meteori is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Wolfgang Klausewitz and Uwe Zajonz in 2000. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Indian Ocean, including Djibouti, Eritrea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 696 to 705 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 44.2 centimetres (17.4 in).
The pillar wire eel is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Einar Hagbart Martin Lea in 1913, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean. It is oceanodromous, and is known to dwell at a depth range of 27 to 460 metres.
Saurenchelys taiwanensis is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Emma Stanislavovna Karmovskaya in 2004. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 1,043 to 1,102 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 34.2 centimetres (13.5 in).
Callechelys catostoma, the black-striped snake eel or dark band snake eel,) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider and Johann Reinhold Forster in 1801. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Society Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and Lord Howe Island. It dwells at a depth range of 1–32 metres, and inhabits reefs. It burrows into loose gravel and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 85 centimetres (33 in).
