Earthworm eel
The Chaudhuriidae are a small family (about ten species described ) in the order of Kiemenschlitzaalartigen ( Synbranchiformes ). The fish are similar in size and coloring earthworms.
Features
Due to their small size and semi- burrowing lifestyle many bone elements are reduced: basisphenoid, Pterosphenoid, Entopterygoid, Dermopalatinum, Autopalatinum, Posttemporale ( Behind temporal bone ), the Branchiospinen, the tooth plate of Pharyngobranchiale II (see fish skull), distal Pectoral - radials, Dorsalis - and Analis spines and their Pterygiophoren, Epuralia, Uroneuralia, Parhypurale; Reducing the number of Epicentralia and Hypuralia. The eyes are small, under a thick skin, often these fish are practically blind ( but, of course, sensitive to light ). They live in ( often quite shallow ) water ditches, ponds, marsh meadows, rice fields ( ie synanthropic ) of insect larvae, small crustaceans and other benthic animals and sedimentbewohnenden: the jaws are finely dentate. Very little is known about their biology other. The lateral line canals mostly missing, the scales often, the skin is slippery (only the genus Chendol has scales and lateral line canals). The pectoral fins are small and overlap -like; the caudal fin is small, reduced to a beam or entirely absent (so that the dorsal and anal fin in the genera Nagaichthys and Pillaia form a seam ). Chaudhuria has 72 vertebrae and fins formula D 40, A 40, C 7
Pillaia indica has loud Yazdani (1976 ) nor a rostral cartilage rod, which speaks as the reduction of the Palatine region of Suspensoriums (among others) for the relationship of the Chaudhuriidae with the spiny eels ( Mastacembelidae ). Annandale she held still for eel-shaped ( Anguilliformes ), and later it was thought sometimes a derivability of mucus Fishy ( Blennioidei ) or Nanderbarschen ( Nandidae ).
Genera and species
The genera and species ( 2003): Distribution ( between India, Korea and Borneo) and the maximum lengths:
- Bihunichthys Kottelat & Lim, 1994 Bihunichthys monopteroides Kottelat & Lim 1994 -. Indonesia, Malaysia. 4 cm.
- Chaudhuria caudata Annandale 1918 -. Burma to Cambodia. 6 cm.
- Chaudhuria fusipinnis Kottelat & Britz 2000 -. Laos. 4.5 cm.
- Chendol keelini Kottelat & Lim 1994 -. Malaysia, Indonesia. 6 cm.
- Chendol lubricus Kottelat & Lim 1994 -. Indonesia. 6 cm.
- Garo khajuriai Talwar, Yazdani & Kundu 1977 -. Assam. 7 cm.
- Nagaichthys filipes Kottelat & Lim 1991 -. Indonesia, Malaysia. 3 cm.
- Pillaia indica Yazdani 1972 -. Meghalaya (India). 8 cm.
- Pillaia kachinica Kullander, Britz & Fang 2000 -. Northern Burma. 6 cm.