Author: Gill, 1884

Derichthys serpentinus Gill, 1884

Diagnosis: body elongate, scaleless, constricted between head and pectoral fins; anus slightly behind midpoint of body. Eyes well developed. Nostrils pore-like, dorsolateral, dividing snout into almost equal thirds. Mouth reaching or almost to posterior eye margin. Teeth small and conical, jaws with 3-5 irregular rows, diminishing posteriorly; a transverse band with 3-5 rows on premaxillae, continuous with those of maxillae; a horseshoe-shaped patch on vomer, separated from premaxillary teeth, sometimes with inner rudimentary teeth. Gill opening small, ventrolateral, well separated. Dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin; dorsal fin origin far behind pectoral fins; dorsal fin markedly lower in about last third of caudal region. Lateral line: 80-90 pores; 3 supra-temporal pores; tubular ethmoidal pores at tip of snout. Vertebrae: total 126-134; abdominal 59-61. Colour: tawny olive to mouse grey with glints of bluish sheen on neck; fins slightly pigmented but almost transparent. Size: to 31.5 cm.

Habitat: bathypelagic, down to 2,000 m. Food: carnivorous (Natania crustaceans among other prey). Reproduction: warm hydrological season. Leptocephali (L. anguilloides Schmidt, 1916) with metamorphic stages, length of larval life unknown.

Distribution: eastern North Atlantic. Elsewhere, Central and South Atlantic, also Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Eggs, larvae and young stages. Schmidt, 1916: 17, fig. 12-14 (Leptocephalus anguilloides) | Fish, 1927: 308 | Schmidt, 1930: 375 | Castle, 1969: 20, 33.
Otoliths (sagitta). No data.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Osteichthyes
Order Anguilliformes
Family Derichthyidae
Genus Derichthys
Species Derichthys serpentinus

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Derichthys serpentinus Gill, 1884

Scientific synonyms and common names

Derichthys serpentinus Gill, 1884

Synonyms:

Derichthys serpentinus Gill, 1884b, Am. Nat., 18: 433 (Western Atlantic: 39° 44' N., 71°04'W.). Holotype: USNM no. 33.523.
Derichthys serpentinus: Goode & Bean, 1896: 161, fig. 169 Parr, 1934: 32, fig. 10 Geistdoerfer et al., 1971: 1183.
Derichthys iselini Borodin, 1929, Proc. New Engl. zool. Club, 10: 110 (50° 41' N., 27° 17' W .). Holotype: MCZ no. 31. 670.
Derichthys iselini: Borodin, 1931: 75, pl. 3 (fig. 46).


Common name:

narrownecked oceanic eel [En]

Borodin, N. A. 1931. North-Atlantic deep-sea fishes. Bull Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 72 (3): 55-89; 1 fig., 5 pl.

Castle, P. H. J. 1969. An Index and bibliography of eel larvae. J. L. B. Smith Inst. IchthyoL, Spec. Publ, (7): 121 p.

Castle, P. H. J. 1970b. Distribution larval growth and metamorphosis of the eel Derichthys serpentinus Gill, 1884 (Pisces, Denchthyidae). Copeia (3): 444-452.

Fish, M. P. 1927. Contributions to the embryology of the American eel. Zoologica, N.Y., 8 (5): 289-324, 14 fig.

Geistdoerfer, P.; Hureau, J. C.; Rannou, M. 1971a. Liste préliminaire des Poissons: 363-368, in Résultats de la campagne Noratlante du N.O. Jean Charcot (3 août-2 novembre 1969), publication CNEXO no. 01-1971: 1-385.

Gill, T. N. 1884b. New families of fishes (Stephanoberycidae and Derichthyidae) recently added to the deep sea fauna. Am. Nat., 18: 433.

Goode, G. B.; Bean, T. H. 1896. Oceanic ichthyology, a treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by steamers Blake, Albatross and Fish Hawk in the northwestern Atlantic. Smithson. Contrib. Knowl., 30 and Spec. Bull U.S. natn. Mus., 1895 [1896] and Mem. Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 1 (Text): pp. xxxv+1-553; 2 (Atlas): pp. xxiii+1-26, 123 pl., 417 fig.

Schmidt, E. J. 1916. On the early larval stages of the freshwater eels (Anguilla) and some other North Atlantic Muraenoids. Meddr. Kommn Havunders., Ser.: Fisk., 5 (4): pp. 1-20, 14 fig., 4 pl.

Schmidt, E. J. 1930. Nessorhamphus a new cosmopolitan genus of oceanic eels. Vidensk. Meddr. dansk naturh. Foren., 9O: 371-376, 2 pl.

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