- The Eel And Its Environment In The North Atlantic
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Taxonomic studies on the 0-group eel larvae (Anguilla sp.) caught in the Sargasso Sea in 1979
Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 35, pages 279–287 (1982)
Abstract
More than 2000 0-group larvae (5.0–30.0 mm long) of both AtlanticAnguilla species were examined taxonomically. With regard to the total number of myomeres inA. rostrata andA. anguilla, an average difference between the two species of 6 to 8 myomeres was found in all size groups. 31 specimens (i.e. 1.76 %) exhibited 111 myomeres. The position of the last vertical blood vessel and the number of preanal myomeres turned out to be statistically different in both species; however, these differences cannot be used for species identification. The regression line for the position of the last vertical blood vessel according to the total number of myomeres indicates that individuals with a total of 111 myomeres may beA. anguilla. Measurements of total lengths revealed highly significant differences between the larvae of both eel species. It can be concluded that, on the average,A. rostrata (\(\bar x = 15.70 mm\)) hatched about two weeks beforeA anguilla (\(\bar x = 12.32 mm\)). On the other hand, results obtained from the biggestA. rostrata larvae (29.5 mm) andA. anguilla larvae (23.5 mm) make a spawning ofA. rostrata likely two months beforeA. anguilla, when findings from hatching experiments withA. japonica are taken as a basis. There is no difference in the relative length of the intestine in eitherAnguilla species.
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Schoth, M. Taxonomic studies on the 0-group eel larvae (Anguilla sp.) caught in the Sargasso Sea in 1979. Helgolander Meeresunters 35, 279–287 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02006136
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02006136