Nettastomatidae
| Duckbill eels | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Venefica tentaculata | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Nettastomatidae |
| Genera | |
|
Facciolella | |
The duckbill eels or witch eels are a family, Nettastomatidae, of eels. The name is from Greek netta meaning "duck" and stoma meaning "mouth".
Duckbill eels are found along the continental slopes of tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. They are bottom-dwelling fish, feeding on invertebrates and smaller fish.[1] They are slender eels, up to 125 centimetres (4.10 ft) in length, with narrow heads and large, toothy, mouths. Most species lack pectoral fins.
Species
About 40 species are placed in seven genera:
- Genus Facciolella
- Genus Hoplunnis
- Genus "Leptocephalus"
- Genus Nettastoma
- Genus Nettenchelys
- Genus Saurenchelys
- Genus Venefica
References
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Nettastomatidae" in FishBase. June 2011 version.
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