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Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Protanguillidae (Protoanguillids)
Etymology: palau: From the Greek protos, first, and the Latin anguilla, eel, in reference to the early divergence of the genus among anguilliforms (Ref. 87802).

Issue
Genus and family names spelling confirmation awaiting the paper-published version of the original description.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 35 - ? m (Ref. 87802). Tropical

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 17.6 cm TL (female)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Gill opening terminates as ovoid tube with low, fringed collar; pseudobranch present; knob-like, toothed gill rakers present; premaxilla present, autogenous; symplectic autogenous; metapterygoid present; anterior end of vomer with small, ovoid, autogenous toothplate; body relatively short, total vertebrae 87 or fewer (79–87, mean ¼ 83.3); hypurals 3 and 4 not fused to each other; pterosphenoid not excluded from posterior margin of orbit (Ref. 87802).

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions | Faunafri

Asia: Republic of Palau. Presently known from a western fringing reef of Ngemelis Island, in a reef cave at 35 m depth. As an elopomorph, it almost certainly has a leptocephalus larval form, and letptocephali (particularly those of anguilliforms) are known to have long planktonic durations (2–10 months). Accordingly, the authors believe that Protoanguilla probably has a considerably broader distribution than currently known, even though no leptocephali matching its unique meristic formula (fewer than 90 vertebrae, more than 170 dorsal fin and anal fin rays) have been identified in extensive worldwide larval fish collections. In any case, historically, the Protoanguilla lineage, estimated to have diverged ca 200Ma, must have been much more widely distributed, because the Palau-Kyushu Ridge formed only around 60–70 Ma (Ref. 87802).

Cave species (Ref. 87802).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Johnson, G.D., H. Ida, J. Sakaue, T. Sado, T. Asahida and M. Miya, 2011. A 'living fossil' eel (Anguilliformes: Protanguillidae, fam. nov.) from an undersea cave in Palau. Proc. R. Soc. B. published on line, Version 3.

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki |

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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805): PD₅₀ = 1.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00102 (-0.17398 - 0.17602), b=3.06 (2.97 - 3.15), based on all LWR estimates for this BS (Ref. 93245).

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278): 0.0 ±0.0 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 69278): .

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .

Price category (Ref. 80766): .

Protanguilla palau Johnson, Ida & Sakaue, 2011