Body elongate to elongate-oval, not filamentous, reaching about 50mm just before metamorphosis begins, depth about one-fifth of total length. Pectoral fin present; upper jaw reaching to below middle of pupil; gut straight, not swollen or festooned; major vertical intestinal vessels usually lying at segments 17, 40, 45; vent never closer to tip of tail than by about 30 segments, before metamorphosis the myomeres numbering about 70 + 40 with a
total in all species between 100 and 120. Pigment restricted to the chorioid of the eye but very young specimens have a few small black spots on the caudal tip |
Anguilla Shaw. |
1 (4) Number of complete myomeres between verticals through the dorsal and anal origins less than six (short-finned species) |
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2 (3) Myomeres 102–108, anterior margin of gall-bladder at the level of the 27 th myomere, a–d = 5–6, major vertical blood-vessels at 15–17, 35–37, 42–44 |
A. obscura Günther, known from Tahiti, south of Fiji and New Hebrides. |
3 (2) Myomeres 109–117, anterior margin of gallbladder at the level of the 27th myomere, a–d = 1–4 |
A. australis Richardson. |
Major vessels at 16–17, 39, 45–46 |
A. australis ?australis Richardson, known from south-east of New Caledonia and North Queensland. |
Major vessels at 17, 41, 48 |
A. australis ? schmidti Phillipps, known from east of New Caledonia and north-east of New Hebrides. |
4 (1) Number of complete myomeres between verticals through the dorsal and anal origins more than six (long-finned species). |
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5 (8) Myomeres 101–111, a–d = 8–10. |
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6 (7) Anterior margin of gall-bladder at level of 25th myomere, major vessels at 15–17, 36–37, 42–43 |
A. marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, known in the south-west Pacific from near Samoa and between Solomon Is. and New Caledonia. |
7 (6) Anterior margin of gall-bladder at level of 31st myomere, major vessels at 16–17, 38–39, 44 |
A. reinhardti Steindachner, known from north-west of New Caledonia. |
8 (7) Myomeres 109–117, a–d = 7, major vessels at 17–19, 41–42, 47–48, anterior margin of gall-bladder at 29–31 |
A. megastoma Kaup, known from northeast of New Hebrides.
A. dieffenbachi Gray is unknown as a leptocephalus but would probably fall close to
A. megastoma in its larval characters. |