Anguillidae

noun

Usually catadromous fishes in tropical and temperate waters, except eastern Pacific and south Atlantic. Eellike body with minute or embedded scales. Well developed pectorals but no pelvic fins; dorsal and caudal fin confluent with anal fin. All species are important food fishes and are sold fresh, smoked, or canned. Important aquaculture species based on captured juveniles (elvers); widely introduced. All spend their juvenile and adult live in freshwater, returning to the ocean to spawn and die. The leptocephalus larvae are marine. There is some doubt as to the validity of some of the fifteen species currently recognized.

The family Anguillidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Anguilliformes. It contains 1 genus and 15 species. It may be found in Marine, Brackish, and Freshwater environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is anguilliform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the upper Miocene epoch of the Tertiary period. This family may be found from 70° n to 48° s and 107° w to 178° e. Etymology of this family name: Latin, anguilla, ae = eel