Facciolella smithi

Facciolella smithi Kodeeswaran & Kumar, 2025

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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Nettastomatidae (Duckbill eels)
Etymology: Facciolella: Latin, diminutive of falx, falcis = sickle (Ref. 45335); smithi: Name 'smithi' in honor of the eminent eel ichthyologist David G. Smith (1942-2024) for his enormous contribution to the taxonomy of the world’s anguilliform fishes.
Eponymy: Dr Luigi Facciolà (1851–1943) was an Italian physician and ichthyologist who was the first to recognise and describe the Witch-Eel genus (1911) but in doing so used a preoccupied name (Nettastomella). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 260 - 450 m (Ref. 138158). Tropical

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Indian Ocean: India.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 61.7 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 138158)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: dorsal-fin origin slightly before gill openings; predorsal length 40.2-43.7% PAL; head large, its length 43.6-47.5% PAL; brown dorsal and white ventral coloration of thebody and head; melanophore pigments are scattered over ventral part of body; lateral-line pores before dorsal fin 13-15; lateral-line pores before gill openings 16-18; preanal lateral-line pore 47-50; SO 5, IO 9, POM 11, ST 1; predorsal vertebrae 11-13; and preanal vertebrae 46-49. (Ref. 138158).
Body shape (shape guide): eel-like; Cross section: circular.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

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

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Kodeeswaran, P. and T.T.A. Kumar, 2025. Facciolella smithi, a new species of deep-water nettastomatid eel (Anguilliformes: Nettastomatidae) from the Arabian Sea. Zootaxa 5653(4):563-571. (Ref. 138158)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

Not Evaluated 

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |