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Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Anguillidae (Freshwater eels)
Etymology: Anguilla: Latin, anguilla, .-ae = eel (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Temminck & Schlegel.

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

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; catadromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 1 - 400 m (Ref. 6898). Subtropical; 4°C - 27°C (Ref. 12468); 46°N - 15°N, 105°E - 170°E

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

Asia: Japan to the East China Sea, Taiwan, Korea, China and northern Philippines. Spawning grounds of this species are presumed to be in the western Mariana Islands, at a salinity front near 15°N and 140°E (Ref. 54488). Most expensive food fish in Japan. Introduced elsewhere.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9828); common length : 40.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35840); max. published weight: 1.9 kg (Ref. 82795)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Vertebrae: 114 - 118. Plain-colored.

Spawning occurs in the sea; small eels ascend the rivers in schools; develop and grow in freshwater. The species may crawl over land at night from one place to another (Ref. 5258, 11230). Adults feed on crustaceans, insects and fish (Ref. 5258). Maximum weight given (1889 g) has a maximum length of 100.8 cm TL in Ref. 82795. Utilized fresh, smoked, canned and frozen; eaten steamed, broiled and baked (Ref. 9988). Used in Chinese medicine (Ref. 12166).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Assuming reproductive mode to be the same as that of Anguilla anguilla.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino, 1984. The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text). (Ref. 559)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Endangered (EN) (A2bcd); Date assessed: 06 November 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial

FAO - Aquaculture systems: production, species profile; Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 2.5 - 23.3, mean 17 °C (based on 432 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00062 (0.00039 - 0.00099), b=3.18 (3.05 - 3.31), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.6 ±0.51 se; based on food items.

Generation time: 15.7 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.07).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): High to very high vulnerability (71 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 32.7 [19.9, 65.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.741 [0.434, 1.157] mg/100g; Protein = 19.5 [17.7, 21.4] %; Omega3 = 0.35 [0.19, 0.67] g/100g; Selenium = 55.1 [28.6, 103.5] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.74 [1.85, 42.36] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.685 [0.498, 0.991] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.

Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, 1846