Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Congridae (Conger and garden eels) > Congrinae
Etymology: Castleichthys: Named for the late P.H.J. Castle, who located the specimen described here and recognized its novelty, but was unable to complete the description himself.. Also in recognition of his many contributions to our knowledge of eels and eel larvae; auritus: Name from Latin 'auritus' meaning eared, refers to the large, conspicuous pectoral fins, which resemble the ears of a rabbit or a mule; an adjective.
Eponymy: Dr Peter Henry John Castle (1934–1999) was an ichthyologist at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, which awarded all his degrees; bachelor’s (1955) master’s (1958), doctorate (1964) and DSc. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range ? - 396 m (Ref. 76855). Tropical
Eastern Indian Ocean: Western Australia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 28.8 cm TL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 128. This species is distinguished by having the following characters: moderately elongate body; preanal length less than 40% TL; tip of tail slender and flexible, but not greatly attenuate or filiform; well developed pectoral fin; origin of dorsal slightly behind tip of appressed pectoral fin; segmented dorsal and anal-fin rays; equal jaws, rictus below middle of eye; flange present on upper lip; no papillae or plicae on skin of head; relatively large eyes; posterior nostril at mid-eye level; small teeth, not caniniform nor molariform; uniserial maxillary teeth, mandibular teeth uniserial for most of length (Ref. 76855).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Smith, D.G., 2004. A new genus and species of congrid eel (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Congridae) from western Australia. Rec. Aust. Mus. 56:143-146. (Ref. 76855)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00063 (0.00029 - 0.00138), b=3.18 (3.00 - 3.36), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (19 of 100).
