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Taxa

Anguilliformes

Fish Orders

Anguilliformes is an order of ray-finned fish commonly known as eels, comprising eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera and about 1,000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from an early larval stage to the adult form and are usually predators.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Order 1
Scientific Name
Anguilliformes 1
Member Species/Taxa Count
1000 1
Geographic Distribution
Most species are marine, inhabiting shallow ocean waters and burrowing into sand, mud, or among rocks; only members of the genus Anguilla regularly inhabit fresh water, returning to the sea to breed. 1
Defining Characteristics
Ray-finned fish that undergo considerable development from an early larval stage to the adult stage, and are usually predators. 1
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Elongated fish ranging from 5 cm in the one-jawed eel to 4 m in the slender giant moray, lacking pelvic fins (and often pectoral fins), with the dorsal, anal and caudal fins fused into a single ribbon running along much of the body's length. 1
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 2
Sources
1. Eel / Anguilliformes (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Wikipedia (Eel article) lead paragraph, sentence 1 (taxonomic rank)
    Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species.
  • Wikipedia (Eel article) lead paragraph, sentence 1 (order name)
    Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species.
  • Wikipedia (Eel article) lead paragraph, sentence 1 (species count)
    Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species.
  • Wikipedia (Eel article), Description section, paragraph 2, sentence 1
    Most species of eels are nocturnal; they inhabit shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, or amongst rocks.
  • Wikipedia (Eel article) lead paragraph, sentence 2
    Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage and are usually predators.
  • Wikipedia (Eel article), Description section, sentence 1
    Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 cm (2 in) in the one-jawed eel (Monognathus ahlstromi) to 4 m (13 ft) in the slender giant moray.
View the Source
2. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ128685, descriptionView the Source
Wikidata: Anguilliformes
Wikidata Q128685, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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