Anguilla rostrata
American eel
Same Genus
Distribution
Description
Broadly distributed from southern Greenland to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Like Anguilla anguilla, this catadromous species migrates to the Sargasso Sea in autumn to spawn. Dorsal surface in mature adults is dark brown to blue-black, with light colouration on the underside. With sexual maturation the lateral line becomes prominant, eye diameter increases, and body takes on a silvery-bronze colouration. Young eels exhibit some yellow colouration on the edges of dorsal and anal fins.
Information
Max Size: N/A cm
Sea Temperature Range: N/A
Depth: N/A
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Occurrence: Widespread (100% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Jo Schmid