Eel Sandlance, Bleekeria viridianguilla (Fowler 1931)


Illustration of an Eel Sandlance, Bleekeria viridianguilla. Source: Fowler, H.W., 1931 - Studies of Hong Kong fishes--No. 2. License: Copyright Expired

Summary:
A greenish-yellow to greenish brown sandlance becoming paler below, with a pale yellow margin on the dorsal and caudal fins.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2023, Bleekeria viridianguilla in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4886

Eel Sandlance, Bleekeria viridianguilla (Fowler 1931)

More Info


Distribution

North of Legendre Island, Western Australia, to north of Bathurst Island, Northern Territory. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west Pacific.
Small schools feed on zooplankton over sandy areas, diving into the sand when threatened. 

Features

Dorsal fin 40-43; Anal fin 14-16; Pectoral fin 14-16; Gill rakers 22-23; Lateral-line scales 108-116; Scale rows above lateral line at dorsal fin origin 4; Vertebrae 52-56.
Body elongate, almost cylindrical; mouth large, terminal; lower jaw strongly projecting; upper jaw protrusible. 
Dorsal fin continuous, height equal to or greater than body depth; anal fin 1/2 the length of dorsal fin; caudal fin somewhat forked; pelvic fins absent.

Etymology

The specific name viridianguilla is from the Latin viridis (= green) and anguilla (= eel), in reference to 'T’seng Sin' (green eel), the Chinese vernacular name for this species.

Species Citation

Herklotsina viridianguilla, Fowler 1931, Hong Kong Naturalist 2(4): 311, Fig. 13. Type locality: Hong Kong. 

Author

Bray, D.J. 2023

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Eel Sandlance, Bleekeria viridianguilla (Fowler 1931)

References


Collette, B.B. 2001. Ammodytidae. p. 3518 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.

Fowler, H.W. 1931. Studies on the fishes of Hong Kong - No. 2. Hong Kong Naturalist 2(4): 287-317 figs 1-16 See ref online

Ida, H., Sirimontaporn, P. & Monkolprasit, S. 1994. Comparative morphology of the fishes of the family Ammodytidae, with a description of two new genera and two new species. Zoological Studies 33(4): 251-277. See ref online

Joshi, K.K., Zacharia, P.U. & Kanthan, P. 2012. Description of a new sand lance species, Bleekeria murtii (Perciformes: Ammodytidae) from India. Indian Journal of Fisheries 59(2): 101-107. See ref online

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293

Psomadakis, P.N., Yoshinaga, T., Wah, Z. Z. & Ida, H. 2021. Description of two new species of sandlances, genus Bleekeria (Perciformes, Ammodytidae) from the Andaman Sea (northeastern Indian Ocean). Zootaxa 4903(3): 419-429. https://doi.org/10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4903.3.7

Varsha, M.S., Sethulakshmi, M., Ida, H.,  Randall, J.E. & Joshi, K.K. 2019. A taxonomic revision of the fishes of the genus Bleekeria (Perciformes, Ammodytidae). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India 60(2): 18-25. https://doi.org/10.6024/jmbai.2018.60.2.2077-06

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37425002

Depth:30-200 m

Habitat:Sandy areas

Max Size:16 cm TL

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CAAB distribution map