You can sponsor this page

Scolecenchelys breviceps (Günther, 1876)

Short-headed worm eel
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Scolecenchelys breviceps   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Google image
Image of Scolecenchelys breviceps (Short-headed worm eel)
Scolecenchelys breviceps
Picture by Groeneveld, R.

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: Günther.

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

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 156 m (Ref. 56887). Temperate

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

Eastern Indian Ocean: southern Australia, from Rottnest Island, Western Australia to Port Arthur, Tasmania. Southwest Pacific: New Zealand (Ref. 5755).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9563)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Diagnosis: Moderately elongate with tail 58-63% of TL; dorsal fin arises slightly ahead of middle of preanal distance; blunt snout; large eye, 11-16 times in HL with posterior margin above or slightly in advance of corner of mouth; eye diameter less than interorbital distance; small, numerous teeth, conical and biserial anteriorly and uniserial posteriorly on jaws and vomer; color tan dorsally, pale ventrally, sharply delineated along mid-flank, anus not within a black spot; MVF 23/56/164; total vertebrae 161-167 (Ref. 56887).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found inshore, in bays (Ref. 9563); burrowing, on soft bottoms (Ref. 7300). Caught under surface nightlights, and by trap, trawl, hook-and-line, and is occasionally discovered in fish stomachs; a benthic species living from tidepool depths to 156 meters (Ref. 56887).

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

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

May, J.L. and J.G.H. Maxwell, 1986. Trawl fish from temperate waters of Australia. CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research, Tasmania. 492 p. (Ref. 9563)

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 |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

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): 14.4 - 18.5, mean 16.8 °C (based on 370 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):  4.5   ±0.80 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 13.2 [5.9, 24.4] mg/100g; Iron = 0.203 [0.108, 0.369] mg/100g; Protein = 19.1 [16.8, 21.7] %; Omega3 = 0.359 [0.154, 1.158] g/100g; Selenium = 10.9 [4.9, 24.7] μg/100g; VitaminA = 64.4 [17.0, 265.4] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.373 [0.242, 0.581] mg/100g (wet weight);