Anguilla megastoma Kaup, 1856
Polynesian longfinned eel
Anguilla megastoma
photo by FAO

Family:  Anguillidae (Freshwater eels)
Max. size:  100 cm TL (male/unsexed); 165 cm SL (female); max.weight: 9,000.0 g
Environment:  demersal; freshwater; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 3000 m, catadromous
Distribution:  Pacific Ocean: Sulawesi, Indonesia to the Society Islands. Also recorded from Pitcairn (Ref. 9828).
Diagnosis:  Vertebrae: 110-114. The only species that can be either variegated or plain-colored. Mottled individuals most closely resemble Anguilla celebensis and A. interioris in having broad, undivided tooth bands, but their ranges do not overlap. Plain-colored individuals most closely resemble A. japonica and A. borneensis, but those species both geographically distant. A. obscura is also plain-colored but has a shorter dorsal fin (Ref. 9828). The skin is grey to yellowish and more or less spotted with brown or black. It can be sometimes uniformly brownish red on the flanks and the back. The belly is white. Young specimens are grey and do not have spots (Ref.48622).
Biology:  Found in rocky pools, often in coastal streams (Ref. 2847). No separate statistics available (Ref. 9828). The maximum weight (9,000 g) refers to the length (165 cm TL) of a female individual (Ref. 48622).
IUCN Red List Status: Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 06 November 2018 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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