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Teleostei (teleosts) > Synbranchiformes (Spiny eels) > Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels)
Etymology: Ophisternon: Greek, ophis = serpent + Greek, sternon = chest (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Boulenger.

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

Freshwater; brackish; demersal. Tropical; 17°N - 3°N

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

Africa: coastal river at Mansoa Point, Guinea Bissau (Ref. 57291, 116049). Also recorded from Niger delta, Nigeria (Ref. 57291).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 53.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57291)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. Diagnosis: body naked, elongated, cylindrical in front and strongly compressed back; caudal part of body making less than one third of the total length and ending in a blunt point; no paired fins; dorsal and anal fins reduced to a skin fold, rayless, meeting the caudal fin; eyes small, overlaid with skin, situated at the head forward; mouth large with well developed lips; conical teeth to the jaws and the palate; gill opening reduced to a medio-ventral transversal slit; branchiostegal membrane free from isthmus; 4 branchial arches with well developed branchiae; lateral line present; vertebral count: 80 abdominal and 50 caudal (Ref. 57291). Colouration: adults are dark-coloured, nearly black, juveniles are clearer (Ref. 57291).

Facultative air-breathing (Ref. 126274); The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Fávorito, Sandra | Collaborators

Daget, J., 2003. Synbranchidae. p. 447-450 In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G.G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douce et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, Tome 2. Coll. Faune et Flore tropicales 40. Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgique, Museum National d'Histoire Naturalle, Paris, France and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris, France. 815 p. (Ref. 57291)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Endangered (EN) (B2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 12 September 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00085 (0.00039 - 0.00184), b=3.09 (2.90 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.2 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).

Ophisternon afrum (Boulenger, 1909)