Simenchelys
| Snubnosed eel | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Synaphobranchidae |
| Genus: |
Simenchelys T. N. Gill in Goode and Bean, 1879 |
| Species: | S. parasitica |
| Binomial name | |
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Simenchelys parasitica T. N. Gill in Goode and Bean, 1879 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Conchognathus grimaldii Collett, 1889 |
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Conchognathus grimaldii Collett, 1889
Gymnosimenchelys leptosomus Tanaka, 1908
Simenchelys dofleini Franz, 1910
The snubnosed eel, Simenchelys parasitica, also known as the pug-nosed eel, slime eel, or snub-nose parasitic eel, is a species of deep-sea eel and the only member of its genus. Some authors classify it as the sole member of the subfamily Simenchelyinae of the family Synaphobranchidae, or cutthroat eels, while others place it in its own monotypic family, the Simenchelyidae. It is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, typically at a depth of 500–1,800 m (1,600–5,900 ft) near the bottom. Although typically a scavenger, it is better known for using its powerful jaws and teeth to burrow into larger fishes as a parasite.
This species is harmless to humans and of no interest to fisheries. The generic name Simenchelys translates literally as "pug-nosed eel". In 2002, Koyama et al. reported that they had cultured cells from the pectoral fin of a snubnosed eel and maintained them in vitro for over a year. This represents one of the first cases of successful long-term tissue culture derived from a deep-sea multicellular organism, and has implications for a range of biotechnological fields.
In the eastern Atlantic, the snubnosed eel is known from France to Madeira and the Azores, as well as from off Cape Verde and South Africa. In the western Atlantic, it has been captured off the coast of the United States. In the Pacific, it occurs off Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. They have been recorded from 136 to 2,620 m (446 to 8,596 ft), but are usually found between 500 and 1,800 m (1,600 and 5,900 ft) on the continental slope, in water temperatures of 4–9 °C (39–48 °F). At some locations, large numbers of snubnosed eels have been caught over a short time, indicating local abundance or schooling behavior.
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Wikipedia