Earthworm eel
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Bihunichthys |
The earthworm eels are a family (Chaudhuriidae) of small eel-like fish related to the swamp-eels and spiny eels. The nine known species (as of 2003) are literally the size and shape of earthworms, thus the family name. While one species, the Burmese spineless eel Chaudhuria caudata was reported from the Inlé Lake by N. Annandale in 1918, the others have only been reported since the 1970s, all in the eastern Asia area, from India to Korea.
Neither the dorsal nor anal fins have spines, and in Nagaichthys and Pillaia they have fused with the caudal fin; in the other genera the caudal is small but separate. The bodies have no scales. None of the few specimens found have been any longer than 8 cm, and Nagaichthys filipes is only known to reach 3.1 cm.
Almost nothing is known of the habits and biology of the earthworm eels.
Reference
- Annandale, N. 1918. Fish and fisheries of the Inlé Lake. Records of the Indian Museum, 14: 33-64
- Kullander, S.O., R. Britz & F. Fang. 2000. Pillaia kachinica, a new chaudhuriid fish from Myanmar, with observations on the genus Garo (Teleostei: Chaudhuriidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 11: 327-334.
- Kerle, R., R. Britz & K.L. Ng 2000. Habitat preference, reproduction and diet of the earthworm eel, Chendol keelini (Teleostei: Chaudhuriidae). Env. Biol. Fishes 57(4): 413-422.
External links
- FishBase info for Chaudhuriidae (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/FamilySummary.cfm?ID=433)
- Earthworm eels (Chaudhuriidae) in Myanmar (http://www.nrm.se/ve/pisces/myanmar/myanchau.shtml)