Anguilla marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, 1824

Giant mottled eel

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Anguilliformes \| Anguillidae
Synonyms	Anguilla hildebrandti, Anguilla johannae, Anguilla mauritiana, ... more
Common names	Giant long-finned eel, Anguille marbrée, Anguille, ... more

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Image of Anguilla marmorata (Giant mottled eel)

Picture by Baird, I.G.

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This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Castle, P.H.J. 1984. (Ref. 3506)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57749); 200 cm TL (female); common length : 26.3 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 20.5 kg (Ref. 13337); max. published weight: 15 kg; max. reported age: 40 years (Ref. 48660)

Environment

Demersal; catadromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range 1 - 400 m (Ref. 6898)

Climate / Range

Tropical; 24°N - 33°S

Indo-Pacific: East Africa to French Polynesia, north to southern Japan. Africa: inland Mozambique and lower Zambezi River.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Vertebrae: 100 - 110. Adults have a brownish to black marbling on their back on a greyish yellow background. This coloration can fade away. White belly. Younger specimens are greyish to orange and the marbling is less visible (Ref. 48622). Body color brown speckles scattered on back, sides and fins; yellow between speckles and edge of pectoral fin; belly white or pale blue (Ref. 45563). Head rounded; snout depressed; lower jaw protruded; gill openings small; scales matted-like under skin; pectoral fin rounded; pelvic fin absent (Ref. 45563). Distinguished from all other species by the mottled color and the long dorsal fin, which begins closer to the gill opening than to the anus (Ref. 9828).

Lives in freshwater areas as adults, estuaries and seas as young (Ref. 12693). Found in lowland rivers as well as upland tributaries (Ref. 2847). While in rivers, the sex gland of the fish does not develop and in winter it follows streams to river mouths where the sex gland begins to develop and afterwards it goes to deep sea to breed (Ref. 45563). Its spawning grounds are deep sea gullies among the south of the Philippines, east of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (Ref. 45563). Inhabits deep rocky pools (Ref. 7248). Is active at night, feeding on a wide range of prey (Ref. 7248, 79840), especially crabs, frogs and fish (Ref. 7248). Thought to breed east of Madagascar where the young are wafted to the East Coast by ocean currents (Ref. 13337, 79840).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (tmax=40)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Very high vulnerability (75 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Luna, Susan M.

Modified by Musschoot, Tobias

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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