Brown tube eel

Brown tube eel
	Brown tube eel
Systematics
Cohort :	Elopomorpha
Order :	Eel-like (Anguilliformes)
Family :	Conger eels (Congridae)
Subfamily :	Tube eels (Heterocongrinae)
Genre :	Heterocongers
Type :	Brown tube eel
Scientific name
	Heteroconger longissimus
	Günther , 1870

The brown tube eel ( Heteroconger longissimus ) belongs to the conger eel family (Congridae) and is thus a species from the order of the eel-like (Anguilliformes). It is also known as the Atlantic tube eel . Albert Günther described him in 1870 .

features

Brown tube eels have an elongated body with a maximum diameter of 1 cm and a pointed head with noticeably large eyes. They are dark brown to black in color with fine white spots on the back and a white belly. The dorsal fin is a continuous seam, pectoral fins are missing. Your upper jaw is slightly shorter than the lower jaw. With the protruding lower jaw, they can suck in their food by moving quickly, which creates a strong negative pressure.

Brown tube eels can grow up to 60 cm long.

distribution

Brown tube eels are found in the eastern Atlantic on Madeira , Cape Verde , the Canary Islands and Senegal , in the western Atlantic on the Bahamas , Florida Keys , Cuba , Antilles , Yucatán , Belize and Honduras as far as Brazil .

Way of life

They live in sandy soils, in colonies of a few to thousands of animals. With their hard, sharp digging tail they dig a tube in which they live and which serves as protection. The end of the tail secretes a secretion that solidifies the tube walls and prevents the sand from trickling down. They never leave your living tube with a maximum diameter of 1.5 cm. Tube eels are the only vertebrates that have an almost sessile way of life. Only the head and the front part of the body protrude slightly and swing back and forth while snapping for zooplankton or detritus (decaying organic substances in bodies of water). In the event of danger, the entire colony withdraws into its protective tubes. The distance to their neighbors is on average 50 cm, whereby same-sex animals keep a slightly larger distance.

Multiplication

There is little and contradicting information about the pairing. However, since there are 35 species, it is possible that different methods of reproduction exist. The reproduction of the brown tube eels most likely takes place during the summer. Even before the actual mating, the neighboring males begin to threaten each other with wide open mouths. Opinions differ here, according to Robert Patzner and Horst Moosleitner, the males leave the tubes and swim to the females. According to Robert F. Myers and Dieter Eichler, they never leave the tube. They only move towards neighboring animals through the sand, but the abdomen always stay in their own tube.

The male wraps around the female and in this position the eggs are released. The act can last for several hours. The larvae live pelagially . The larval stage lasts between six and eight months.

Web links

Commons : Brown tube eel ( Heteroconger longissimus ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files