Common Pike Eel, Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton-Buchanan 1822)
Head of a Common Pike Eel, Muraenesox bagio, from Pilar Public Market, Sorsogon Province, Luzon, Philippines - USNM 405904, TL=654 mm. Source: Jeffrey T. Williams / Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. License: Cc BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
A large predatory eel found on soft bottoms in estuaries and coastal waters.
Identifying features: Snout long, posterior nostrils only slightly closer to the eye than to the anterior nostrils; mouth very large, teeth large, conspicuous; head moderately broad; 33-39 lateral line pores before the anus.
Common Pike Eel, Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton-Buchanan 1822)
More Info
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Distribution |
Murchison River, Western Australia, to the Shoalhaven River, New South Wales. Elsewhere, the species is widespread in the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Japan, Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji. Inhabits soft bottoms in estuaries and coastal waters in depths above 100 metres. |
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Features |
Dorsal-fin rays before anus 47-49; Lateral-line pores before anus 33-39; Vertebrae 128-141. Body robust, eel-shaped; snout long; eye diameter 3 times in snout length; mouth very large; teeth generally large, conspicuous; interorbital width about 10 times in head length; posterior nostrils only slightly nearer to eye than to anterior nostrils. |
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Feeding |
Carnivore - feeds on bottom dwelling fishes and crustaceans. |
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Remarks |
The Common Pike Eel is nocturnal, and has reportedly attacked fishers and anglers when captured. |
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Similar Species |
Differs from the Darkfin Conger Eel, Muraenesox cinereus (which is restricted to northern Australia), in having a narrower head, fewer dorsal-fin rays before the anus (47-49 vs. 66-78 in M cinereus), fewer vertebrae and fewer lateral-line pores before the anus (33-39 vs. 44-47 in M. cinereus). |
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Species Citation |
Muraena bagio Hamilton 1822, An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges: 24, 364. Type locality: Ganges River estuaries, India. |
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Author |
Dianne J. Bray |
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Resources |
Common Pike Eel, Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton-Buchanan 1822)
References
Castle, P.H.J. 1986. Muraenesocidae. p. 188, in Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P. (eds). Smith's Sea Fishes. Johannesburg : Macmillan South Africa xx + 1047 pp. 144 pls.
Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. Serie A (Biologie) Neue Serie 4: 341-463.
Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.
Hamilton, F. 1822. An Account of the Fishes Found in the River Ganges and its Branches. Edinburgh : Archibald Constable 405 pp., pls 1-39.
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762.
Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.
Prokop, F. 2002. Australian Fish Guide. Croydon South, Victoria : Australian Fishing Network 256 pp.
Russell, B.C. & Houston, W. 1989. Offshore fishes of the Arafura Sea. The Beagle, Records of the Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory 6(1): 69-84
Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 1397-2068 pp.
