- Classification
- ACTINOPTERYGII
- PERCIFORMES
- AMMODYTIDAE
- Bleekeria
- viridianguilla
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 03 Dec 2023, 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 |
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