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 0 - 4337 m (Ref. 96339), usually 100 - 1000 m (Ref. 58302). Deep-water; 55°N - 42°S, 180°W - 180°E
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: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 130 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388)
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 reported taken from Ref. 86942.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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