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African longfin eel (Anguilla mossambica)
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African longfin eel (Anguilla mossambica) specimen
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Anguillidae

African longfin eel

Anguilla mossambica

Elvers climb waterfalls and dam walls at night

  • Tropical
  • Regional distribution
  • Indian Ocean
  • Africa
  • Oceania
  • Anguilliform
  • Large
  • Tropical fish

The African longfin eel (Anguilla mossambica), also known simply as the longfin eel, is an eel in the family Anguillidae. It was described by Wilhelm Peters in 1852, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a tropical eel known from freshwaters in southern Kenya, Cape Agulhas, Madagascar, and New Caledonia.

Maximum length
150 cm
Body shape
anguilliform
Distribution
Western Indian Ocean: east coast rivers of Africa from Kenya south to Cape Agulhas, also in Madagascar and other western Indian Ocean islands (Ref. 7248 , 52193 ). Reported from New Caledonia (Ref. 11889 ).
Conservation status
NTNear Threatened

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