Mauritanian shortface eel

Mauritanian shortface eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Heterenchelyidae
Genus: Panturichthys
Species:
P. mauritanicus
Binomial name
Panturichthys mauritanicus
Pellegrin, 1913
Synonyms[1]
  • Pantaurichthys mauritanicus (Pellegrin, 1913)
  • Ophisichthys dubius Osório, 1917

The Mauritanian shortface eel[2] (Panturichthys mauritanicus) is an eel in the family Heterenchelyidae (mud eels).[3] It was described by Jacques Pellegrin in 1913.[4] It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it is distributed from Morocco to Guinea (including Mauritania, from which its species epithet and common name are derived). It typically dwells at a depth range of 30–1000 metres, habituating muddy substrates on the African continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 84 centimetres.[3]

The Mauritanian shortface eel's diet primarily consists of benthic crustaceans, bivalves, and annelids.[5]

  1. ^ Synonyms of Panturichthys mauritanicus Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine at www.fishbase.org.
  2. ^ Common names for Panturichthys mauritanicus Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine at www.fishbase.org.
  3. ^ a b Panturichthys mauritanicus Archived 2013-04-12 at archive.today at www.fishbase.org.
  4. ^ Pellegrin, J., 1913 [ref. 3427] See ref. at BHL. Poisson des côtes de Mauritanie. Mission de M. Gruvel. Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France v. 38: 116-118.
  5. ^ Food items reported for Panturichthys mauritanicus Archived 2013-04-12 at archive.today at www.fishbase.org.