Abstract
ABSTRACT As they spend most of their time buried in the substrate and are not a fishery resource, heterenchelyids are seldom seen. These eels are characterized by their greatly reduced eyes, which are covered by semi-transparent skin, the absence of a pectoral fin or lateral line, and no pores on the head or body. Pythonichthys sanguineus is a particularly poorly-known species, with only eight scientific records from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. The present study is based on six adult specimens of P. sanguineus captured by vessels of the shrimp trawling fleet along the northern Brazilian coast, in the vicinity of the Amazon Reef. We provide meristic, morphometric and DNA barcoding data. These findings provide insights into the distribution of the species off the northern Brazilian coast and contribute to the discussion about the southern limit of the Greater Caribbean fauna.
Highlights
The order Anguilliformes includes 938 species in 19 families and 159 genera (Nelson et al 2016)
The present report on Pythonichthys sanguineus is based on three adult specimens collected in Amapá state on April 28, 2017 and March 2-3, 2018 and other three adult specimens captured on March 5, 2018, all captured by vessels of the shrimp trawling fleet
While counts of vertebrae and proportional measurements can be used to distinguish P. sanguineus from P. macrurus (EA) and P. asodes (EP), these parameters are highly similar to those observed in P. microphthalmus (EA)
Summary
The order Anguilliformes includes 938 species in 19 families and 159 genera (Nelson et al 2016). The marine mud eels of the family Heterenchelyidae, a sister group to the Myrocongridae and Muraenidae (Inoue et al 2010), are a small group of two genera, Panturichthys Pellegrin 1913 and Pythonichthys Poey 1868, found in the Mediterranean, tropical Atlantic, and eastern Pacific (Nelson et al 2016). As they spend most of their time buried in the substrate, heterenchelyids are seldom seen, not representing a fishery resource (Smith 2015). Pythonichthys microphthalmus (Regan 1912) and Pythonichthys macrurus (Regan 1912) are found in the Eastern Atlantic (EA), while Pythonichthys asodes Rosenblatt & Rubinoff 1972 occurs in the Eastern Pacific (EP), and Pythonichthys sanguineus Poey 1868 is the only species found in the Western
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