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Scolecenchelys australis (Macleay, 1881)

Shortfinned worm eel
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Scolecenchelys australis   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Scolecenchelys australis (Shortfinned worm eel)
Scolecenchelys australis
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Myrophinae
Etymology: Scolecenchelys: Greek, skolex = worm (1855) + Greek, enchlys, -yos = eel (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Macleay.

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

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 50 m (Ref. 104540). Temperate

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

Southwest Pacific: restricted to southeastern coast of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 40.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 33839)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Vertebrae: 145 - 156. This species of the Scolecenchelys gymnota species group is distinguished by the following set of characters: head 7.7-8.9 % TL (in large specimens, >18.0 cm TL); tail 55-58 % TL; trunk 34-36 % TL; horizontal distance between origin of dorsal-fin and a vertical through mid-anus 8.0-91 % HL; jaws and vomerine teeth in a single row, rarely biserial anteriorly and uniserial posteriorly; predorsal vertebrae 62-68, preanal 60-63 and total 145-156; MVF 65-61-151 (Ref. 104540).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

A shallow species (< 50 m) found in among seagrass beds and rocky tidepools (Ref. 104540). Lives in groups of many individuals. Feeds on small bottom-dwelling invertebrates (Ref. 33839).

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

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : McCosker, John E. | Collaborators

Hibino, Y. and S. Kimura, 2015. Revision of the Scolecenchelys gymnota species group with descriptions of two new species (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Myrophinae). Ichthyol Res (Ref. 104540)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 25 November 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

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

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 14.8 - 23.3, mean 17.4 °C (based on 144 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00076 (0.00029 - 0.00199), b=3.06 (2.83 - 3.29), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.0 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low to moderate vulnerability (30 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 55.3 [34.3, 108.5] mg/100g; Iron = 0.426 [0.249, 0.724] mg/100g; Protein = 18.2 [15.9, 20.7] %; Omega3 = 0.513 [0.235, 1.310] g/100g; Selenium = 14.2 [6.6, 28.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 11.1 [2.8, 44.0] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.569 [0.411, 0.793] mg/100g (wet weight);