Anguilla bengalensis
Scientific Name:-
Anguilla bengalensisCommon Name:-
Indian Mottled Eel / Indian Longfin Eel
Malayalam Name:-
Pu??i Maliññil
Category:-
Fishes
Status:-
Near Threatened in IUCN Red List
Description:-
Dorsal soft rays (total): 250 - 305; Anal soft rays: 220 - 250; Vertebrae: 106 - 112. Body elongate, head conical, flattened dorsally. Dorsal fin begins back, more or less over anus. Mouth terminal, lips prominent, narrow bands of teeth on jaws, broad band on vomer.
Threats:-
Not recorded, but population decline in many rivers due to over exploitation and probably construction of dams. Indian subspecies is Anguilla bengalensis bengalensis (Gray, 1831)
Remark:-
Common in the rivers of Kerala.
Habitat:-
Lives in freshwaters, but also occurs in estuaries and in the sea during early life and near maturity. Catadromous.
Synonyms:-
Anguilla arracana McClelland, 1844
Anguilla brevirostris McClellan, 1844
Anguilla elphinstonei Sykes, 1839
Anguilla nebulosa McClelland, 1844
Anguilla variegata McClelland, 1844
Muraena bengalensis Gray, 1831
Muraena labiata Peters, 1852
Muraena macrophthalmos Peters, 1852
References:-
Biju Kumar, A., Sirajudheen, T.K., Rajesh, L. and Tresa Radhakrishnan (2010). Marine Fish and Fisheries of Kerala - Heritage, Diversity and Conservation Paradigms. In: (Leonard Sonnenschein and Allen Benziger, eds.) Conservation of Fishes in Kerala, India. World Aquarium, St. Louis, USA. 32-102.
Harrison, I.J. & Gollock, M. 2014. Anguilla bicolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 06 May 2015