Common Shore Eel,
Alabes dorsalis
(Richardson 1845)
Other Names: Common Shore-eel, Red-banded Shore Eel, Shore Eel, Striped Brown Shore Eel
A Common Shore Eel, Alabes dorsalis, at Flinders in Westernport, Victoria, August 2018. Source: Nick Shaw / Atlas of Living Australia. License: CC BY Attribution
Summary:
A large brownish-orange to bright green shore eel, with or without large blackish to green spots along the midside. The Common Shore Eel is often seen by people turning over rocks and shells along the seashore in Victoria and Tasmania.
Cite this page as: Bray, D.J. 2021, Alabes dorsalis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4129
Common Shore Eel,
Alabes dorsalis
(Richardson 1845)
References
Hutchins, J.B. 1994. Family Gobiesocidae. pp. 305-324, figs 269-289
in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds)
The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
Hutchins, B. 2006. Description of two new species of shore-eels (Gobiesocidae: Cheilobranchinae:
Alabes) from south-eastern Australia and Norfolk Island.
Memoirs of Museum Victoria 63(1): 25-28,
http://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.2006.63.5Hutchins, J.B. 2008. Family Gobiesocidae. pp. 722-741
in Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H (eds)
Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Hutchins, B. & Morrison, S. 2004. Five new fish species of the genus
Alabes (Gobiesocidae: Cheilobranchinae). R
ecords of the Australian Museum 56: 147-158
https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.56.2004.1426Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986.
Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993.
Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 1996.
Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. & Kuiter, S.L. 2018.
Fish watchers guide to coastal sea-fishes of south-eastern Australia. Seaford, Victoria : Aquatic Photographics, 371 pp.
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983.
Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.
Macleay, W.J. 1881. Descriptive catalogue of the fishes of Australia. Part 4.
Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 6(2): 202-387 (described as
Chilobranchus rufus)
See ref at BHLRichardson, J. 1845. Ichthyology. 17-52 pls 7-8 (parts), 11-30
in Richardson, J. & Gray, J.E. (eds).
The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Erebus and Terror under the Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S., during the years 1839–43. London : E.W. Janson Vol. 2 139 pp. (described as
Cheilobranchus dorsalis &
Cheilobranchus aptenodytum)
See ref onlineSpringer, V.G. & Fraser, T.H. 1976. Synonymy of the fish families Cheilobranchidae (=Alabetidae) and Gobiesocidae, with descriptions of two new species of
Alabes. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 234: 1-23 figs 1-14
https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.234Vaillant, L.L. 1905. Description de poissons nouveaux ou imparfaitement connus de la collection du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle.
Le genre Alabes de Cuvier. Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 4 7(1): 145-152 (described as
Alabes cuvieri)
