Heterenchelyidae

Indeterminate type

The Schlammaale ( Heterenchelyidae ) are a family within the order of eel-like ( Anguilliformes ). The animals are found in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and eastern Pacific, most of the species in the eastern Atlantic. Schlammaale are rare and live on the ocean floor at depths of 20 to 1000 meters. They spend most of the time buried in the ground and bury themselves head first. About their life nothing is known.

Features

Schlammaale are long and slender and are 30 centimeters to 1.5 meters long. The tail is longer than head and body together. Front they are cylindrical, flattened rear side. Living Schlammaale are reddish because of their well-perfused skin, dead gray or brown. They have a small head with tiny, covered by transparent skin eyes. Pectoral fins, the lateral line and scales missing. The mouth is large and extends to behind the eyes. Both jaws are of equal length, or lower jaw is slightly protruding above the upper jaw. The teeth are conical to molariform and are in the pines in two to three rows, on the vomer in one to several rows. The gill openings are deep. The dorsal fin begins over the gill openings or shortly behind. It is low, as is the anal fin, and with this and grown together the tail fin to form a continuous Flossensaum.

System

There are two genera with four species:

• Genus Panturichthys Pellegrin 1913, skin crest on the head, inner row of teeth completely or almost completely on the maxilla, 109-136 vertebrae. Panturichthys mauritanicus Pellegrin 1913
• Panturichthys fowleri ( Ben- Tuvia 1953)
• Panturichthys isognathus Poll 1953
• Panturichthys longus ( Ehrenbaum 1915)

• Pythonichthys macrurus ( Regan 1912)
• Pythonichthys microphthalmus ( Regan 1912)
• Pythonichthys sanguineus Poey 1868
• Pythonichthys asodes Rosenblatt & Rubinoff 1972