Nettastomatidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Duckbill eels | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Venefica tentaculata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Nettastomatidae |
| Genera | |
|
Facciolella |
|
The duckbill eels or witch eels are a family, Nettastomatidae, of eels. The name is from Greek netta meaning "duck" and stoma meaning "mouth".
Duckbill eels are found along the continental slopes of tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. They are bottom-dwelling fish, feeding on invertebrates and smaller fish.[1] They are slender eels, up to 125 centimetres (4.10 ft) in length, with narrow heads and large, toothy, mouths. Most species lack pectoral fins.
Species [edit]
There are about forty species in seven genera:
- Genus Facciolella
- Genus Hoplunnis
- Genus "Leptocephalus"
- Genus Nettastoma
- Genus Nettenchelys
- Genus Saurenchelys
- Genus Venefica
References [edit]
- ^ McCosker, John F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 90. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Nettastomatidae" in FishBase. June 2011 version.
