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Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Nemichthyidae (Snipe eels)
Etymology: Nemichthys: Greek, nema, -atos = filament + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335); scolopaceus: From the Latin 'scolopax' referring to the long bill-like jaws (Ref. 6885).
More on author: Richardson.

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

Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 100 - 4337 m (Ref. 96339), usually 100 - 1000 m (Ref. 58302). Deep-water; 55°N - 42°S, 180°W - 180°E

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Worldwide in tropical and temperate seas. Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada and northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Spain to South Africa, including western Mediterranean (Ref. 3247); reported from Iceland (Ref. 12462). Regularly found in the Skagerrak (Ref. 35387). Northwest Pacific: Japan (Ref. 6885) and Arafura Sea (Ref. 9819). Eastern Pacific: Alaska (Ref. 6885) to Chile (Ref. 9068), including the Gulf of California (Ref. 32364).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 130 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Jaws long (Ref. 13608). Posterior end of body narrow, ending as a long filament (Ref. 13608). Dorsal fin with about 350 rays; caudal fin not recognizable; anal fin with about 320 (Ref. 6885). Dark brown or grey in color, often darker below (Ref. 3248); anal fin and tips of pectoral fins almost black (Ref. 6885).

Occur in midwater, usually below 400 m and occasionally in shallow water in the northern part of its range. Feed on crustaceans while swimming with its mouth open (Ref. 5377). Mesopelagic (Ref. 58302) and bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Oviparous, with planktonic leptocephali (Ref. 32364). Degenerative changes in males and females suggest semelparity (Ref. 32364). Minimum depth from Ref. 58302.

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

Oviparous (Ref. 3247).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Nielsen, J.G. and D.G. Smith, 1978. The eel family Nemichthyidae (Pisces, Anguilliformes). Carlsberg Found., Dana-Rept. No. 88:71 p. (Ref. 7450)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 126983)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 14 July 2014

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson, 1848