Anguilla anguilla

Super Group: 
Opisthokonta
Phylum: 
Chordata
Sub-Phylum: 
Vertebrata
Class: 
Actinopteri
Order: 
Anguilliformes
Family: 
Anguillidae
Genus: 
Anguilla
Species: 
anguilla
Authority: 
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonym(s): 
Muraena anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Diagnosis

Diagnosis_Genus: Anguilla Shrank. Flößen : des Rückens , Afters , und Schwanzes in eine ftatige zufammen gewachfen. Brußl mit Fiofsen.

Diagnosis_Species: Muraena anguilla Linnaeus. maxilla inferiore Iongiore, corpore unicolore. D. 1000.P.19.V.0. A.100.CArt. fpec. 66. gen. 24. fyn. 39. Fn. fvec. 290. Muraena unicolor , maxilla inferiore longiore. Habitat in Europa; maxima in lacu Cornachio Ferrarienfi; nox fert Danubium. Nocturna; latet in coeno duplici foramine; coercetur trunco albo Betule; cutis tenacissima ; parit vivipara, fubcanicula. Aet. Holm. I7JO. p. 194.

Body_adults_male_length: 35 cm
Body_adults_female_length: 50 cm
Body_adults_male_length_max: 150 cm
Body_adults_female_length_max: 133 cm
Body_adults_weight_max: 6.6 kg
Sequence: AP007233 (Minegishi et al. 2005)

Etymology

Anguilla: Latin, anguilla, .-ae = eel

Type species

The type species for the genus Anguilla is Muraena anguilla (Linnæus, 1758).

Type illustration / Type locality / Type specimen

Type locality: Europe, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic Sea, Northeastern Atlantic [original: "in Europa; maxima in lacu Cornachio Ferrariensi"]; localities include Sweden; England; Belgium; Germany; Poland; France; Ferrara and Rome, Italy; Lesbos Island, Greece; Syria.

Ecology

Habitat: Coastal
Habitat: Atlantic Ocean: Atlantic coast from Scandinavia to Morocco; Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas; rivers of North Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean seas. Continuous introductions to Asia and South and Central America. Spawning area in western Atlantic (Sargasso Sea). At least one country reports adverse ecological impact after introduction. Recent genomic DNA studies show that the European eel exhibits isolation by distance, implying that non-random mating and restricted gene flow among eels from different location exists. The existence of 3 genetically distinct sub-populations is suggested: a Northern European subpopulation (consisting mainly of the Icelandic stocks); a Western European subpopulation (including the Baltic, the Mediterranean and Black Sea); a Southern sub-population (including stocks of Morocco).
Migratory: Yes. Diadromous igration. Catadromous
Causality_of_migration:  Sexual reproduction
Temporality_of_migration: Seasonal (When sexual maturity is reached they leave the river. Spawning migrations occur mainly during the second half of the year but have been observed year-round, usually commencing during dark nights)
Substrate: water
Salinity: marine
Salinity: freshwater
Temperature: 4-20°C
Depth: Mesopelagic (0 - 700 m)
Oxygen_level: Oxic

Life cycle

Reproduction_mode: sexual
Longevity: 7 years (wild)
Longevity: 55 years (in captivity)
Longevity_max: 85 years (wild)
Generation_time_female: more than 3 years (9 to 20 years) (Maturity is obtained during the spawning migration)
Generation_time_male: more than 3 years (6 to 12 years) (Maturity is obtained during the spawning migration)
Fecundity_number_of_eggs_per_adult: 2,000,000 to 10,000,000
Fertility_period: Seasonal (occures solely in the Sargasso Sea between March and June) (After spawning (at 600 m depth) adults die)
Spawning_method: External fertilization in the water column
Sexual dimorphism: female larger

Feeding behaviour

Omnivorous

Mode of locomotion

Motility: motile_swimming

Reference(s)

Observation site(s)

SYMBIONTS

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Ichthyodinium chabelardi