Apterichtus australis, Snake eel

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Apterichtus australis McCosker & Randall, 2005

Snake eel
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Apterichtus australis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Apterichtus australis (Snake eel)
Apterichtus australis
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Ophichthinae
Etymology: Apterichtus: From the Greek απτερόν (apteron), without fins, and ίχθύς (ichtus, more correctly written ichthys; masculine), fish.;  australis: Named australis in recognition of this species' distribution..
More on authors: McCosker & Randall.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 12 - 100 m (Ref. 75631). Tropical; 36°N - 34°S, 136°E - 109°W

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

Western Central Pacific: from Japan and the south Pacific island groups of Rapa, Pitcairn, Easter, New Zealand, and possibly Lord Howe.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 75631); 57.0 cm TL (female)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Vertebrae: 162 - 167. An elongate, finless species of sphagebranchin ophichthine (sensu McCosker 1977) with: tail 45-57% and head 5-5.5% of total length; 3 preopercular pores and 3 pores in supratemporal canal; teeth conical, uniserial on jaws and vomer; body mostly pale in preservative, creamy dorsally and reddish-brown ventrally with light and dark head markings in life; and mean vertebral formula 82–164, total vertebrae 162–167. Anterior nostril within an elongate tube, approximately 1/2 the diameter of the eye, its base about midsnout and anterolaterally directed when viewed from above. Posterior nostril opens in outer lip beneath anterior margin of eye. Branchial openings low, ventral; branchial region modestly expanded, creating a bulbous region in posterior half of head (Ref. 75631).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occurs over sand with associated rock and coral reef bottoms and collected with ichthyocides and dredges at depths between 12-100 m (Ref. 75631). Largest specimen examined, female at 57 cm TL (Ref. 101270).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : McCosker, John E. | Collaborators

McCosker, J.E. and Y. Hibino, 2015. A review of the finless snake eels of the genus Apterichtus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of five new species. Zootaxa 3941(1):49-78. (Ref. 101270)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 13 November 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00089 (0.00039 - 0.00204), b=3.00 (2.80 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.0   ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (43 of 100).