Grey cutthroat eel

The grey cutthroat eel, Synaphobranchus affinis, is a cutthroat eel. It was originally described by Albert Günther in 1877.[1] It lives a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting the continental slope[2] and global deep waters including near Portugal, Canary Islands, Morocco, Japan, Australia, and others.[3] [4] It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which has been found at depths ranging from 300 to 2300 meters (1000 to 7500 ft) and at temperatures ranging from 3.3 - 11.3 °C . Males can grow to a length of up to 110 centimeters (43 in).[4] It is primarily a scavenger,[5] however it also actively hunts small fish and crustaceans.[2]

Grey cutthroat eel
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Synaphobranchidae
Genus: Synaphobranchus
Species:
S. affinis
Binomial name
Synaphobranchus affinis
Günther, 1877

The grey cutthroat eel (Synaphobranchus affinis) is commonly mistaken with Kaup's arrowtooth eel (Synaphobranchus kaupii) due to their morphological similarities. The primary method of differentiation between the two is by analyzing vertebral count, dorsal fin rays, and anal fin rays.[6]

References
  • Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). "Synaphobranchus affinis" in FishBase. June 2011 version.
  1. Günther, A. (1877). "LVI.— Preliminary notes on new fishes collected in Japan during the expedition of H.M.S. 'Challenger'". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 20 (119): 433–446. doi:10.1080/00222937708682260.
  2. Wenner, Charles (1975). "Occurrence Of Elvers Of Synaphobranchus-Affinis On Continental Slope Off North-Carolina". Fishery Bulletin. 73 (3): 687–691.
  3. Almeida, Armando J.; Biscoito, Manuel; Santana, José I.; González, José A. (2010). "New Records of Grey Cutthroat, Synaphobranchus Affinis (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae) from the Eastern-Central Atlantic Ocean". Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. 40 (1): 67–70. doi:10.3750/AIP2010.40.1.09.
  4. Sulak, K. J. and Yu. N. Shcherbachev, 1997 [ref. 22986] Zoogeography and systematics of six deep-living genera of synaphobranchid eels, with a key to taxa and description of two new species of Ilyophis. Bulletin of Marine Science v. 60 (no. 3): 1158-1194.
  5. Yeh, John; Drazen, Jeffrey C. (2009). "Depth zonation and bathymetric trends of deep-sea megafaunal scavengers of the Hawaiian Islands". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 56 (2): 251–266. Bibcode:2009DSRI...56..251Y. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2008.08.005. ISSN 0967-0637. S2CID 85031196.
  6. Svendsen, Fred Marius; Byrkjedal, Ingvar (2013). "Morphological and molecular variation in Synaphobranchus eels (Anguilliformes: Synaphobranchidae) of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in relation to species diagnostics". Marine Biodiversity. 43 (4): 407–420. doi:10.1007/s12526-013-0168-1. S2CID 14887352.
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