| Family: |
Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels) |
| Max. size: |
34 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
demersal; freshwater |
| Distribution: |
Africa: Sierra Leone and Monrovia, Liberia (Ref. 57291, 116049). Reported also from Côte d'Ivoire (Ref. 2828), but its identification is unclear as the specimen has clearly visible eyes (Ref. 116049). |
| Diagnosis: |
Diagnosis: body naked, slender, elongated and cylindrical, ending in a very tapering point; the caudal part of the body makes less than one third of the total length; no trace of paired or unpaired fins; eye atrophied, deep-set under skin, practically invisible from the outside; conical teeth on jaws and palate; gill opening minute, reduced to a median ovate pore, surrounded with longitudinal skin folds; 4 branchiostegal rays; 3 branchial arches without branchial lamellae; lateral line present; vertebral count: 140-144 abdominal and 39-45 caudal (Ref. 57291).
Colouration: uniformly dark (Ref. 57291). |
| Biology: |
Contrary to what is suggested by its morphology, this species is not cavernicolous; it burrows in mud, never very far from the sea (Ref. 57291). The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Data deficient (DD); Date assessed: 30 November 2019 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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