Aplatophis chauliodus
Tusky Eel
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Anguilliformes (True Eels)
Ophichthidae (Snake Eels)
Aplatophis
Aplatophis chauliodus (Tusky Eel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Relatively stout, cylindrical anteriorly and compressed posteriorly, with anus slightly posterior to midlength and tail ending as a hard, finless blunt tip. Snout is short. Jaws are elongate, with lower jaw projecting beyond upper jaw. Anterior nostril is tubular. Posterior nostril is short broad tube opening ventrally behind anterior nostril. Eye is small. Anterior teeth are fanglike and project outside closed mouth. Jaw teeth are variable; upper jaw has outer row of 17 to 20 short, conical teeth and inner row of 11 to 13 long, depressible teeth. Lower jaw has 3 or 4 long fangs anteriorly, outer row of 19 to 38 posteriorly, and inner row of 9 to 20 depressible teeth. Intermaxillary teeth consist of outer ring of large, fanglike teeth and 2 median teeth. Vomerine teeth are small, conical, and uniserial; are continuous with intermaxillary teeth; and number 2 to 7. Tongue is enlarged as fleshy lure. Dorsal fin originates posterior to pectoral fin. Head pores are minute, with six infraorbital and three supraorbital. Snout is 13% to 17%, eye is 4% to 6.3%, mouth length is 32% to 40%, and pectoral fin length is 13% to 17% of head length. Head length is 14% to 16%, trunk length is 34% to 37%, predorsal length is 25% to 28%, and depth behind gill openings is 3.6% to 6.4% of TL. Total vertebrae number 110 to 115, predorsal vertebrae number 20 to 26, and preanal vertebrae number 53 to 56.
Color is tan with brown speckling, fine spots on head, larger freckles on body, and pale belly.
Distribution
Western North Atlantic from the northern Gulf of Mexico west of Mobile Bay, Puerto Rico, and Panama to the Guianas.
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Near shore to 91 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 815 mm TL
Males mature at 334 mm TL, and females mature at 439 mm TL.
Occurs near estuaries and in marine waters (Ref. 5217). Assumed to live in permanent or semi-permanent burrows with only snout and eyes exposed, darting to feed on other fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 43686).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-08-15. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from the other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: bycatch.
References
Bohlke 1956
McCosker et al. 1989
Leiby 1989
Boschung 1992
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Cervigón, F., R. Cipriani, W. Fischer, L. Garibaldi, M. Hendrickx, A.J. Lemus, R. Márquez, J.M. Poutiers, G. Robaina and B. Rodriguez (1992) Fichas FAO de identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Guía de campo de las especies comerciales marinas y de aquas salobres de la costa septentrional de Sur América. FAO, Rome. 513 p. Preparado con el financiamento de la Comisión de Comunidades Europeas y de NORAD.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
McCosker, J.E. and D.R. Robertson (2001) Aplatophis zorro, a new species of eastern Pacific snake-eel, with comments on New World ophichthid distributions (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Rev. Biol. Trop. 49(Suppl.1):13-19.
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