Earthworm eel

Family of fishes

Earthworm eel

Chaudhuria caudata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Actinopterygii
Order:  | Synbranchiformes
Suborder:  | Mastacembeloidei
Family:  | Chaudhuriidae
Annandale, 1918
Genera

Bihunichthys Kottelat & Lim, 1994
Chaudhuria Annandale, 1918
Chendol Kottelat & Lim, 1994
Garo Yazdani & Talwar, 1981
Nagaichthys Kottelat & Lim, 1991
Pillaia Yazdani, 1972
Pillaiabrachia Britz, 2016 [1]

Chaudhuriidae, is a family of small freshwater eel-like fish related to the swamp eels and spiny eels, commonly known as the earthworm eels. The known species are literally the size and shape of earthworms, thus the family name. While one species, Chaudhuria caudata was reported from the Inle Lake by Nelson Annandale in 1918,[2] the others have been only recently reported (since the 1970s), all in the eastern Asia area, from India to Korea.[3]

Positioning eel traps in Inle Lake (Myanmar).

Neither the dorsal nor anal fins have spines, and in Nagaichthys and Pillaia they have fused with the caudal fin; in the other genera, the caudal is small but separate. Their bodies have no scales. The few specimens found to date have been no longer than 8 cm (3.1 in), and Nagaichthys filipes is only known to reach 3.1 cm (1.2 in). The eyes are small, covered in thick skin.[4] Almost nothing is known of the habits and biology of the earthworm eels.

The family name "Chaudhuriidae" comes the genus name Chaudhuria, expanded to family level. Both names honour B. L. Chaudhuri (d. 1931) for his assistance in writing the initial paper that erected both the genus and family.[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Britz, R. (2016). "Pillaiabrachia siniae, a new species of earthworm eel from northern Myanmar (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes: Chaudhuriidae)". Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 27 (1): 41–47.
2. ^ Annandale, N. (9 May 1918). "Fish and fisheries of the Inlé Lake". Records of the Indian Museum (Calcutta). 14: 33–64\. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.18603.
3. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Chaudhuriidae". FishBase. January 2016 version.
4. ^ Britz, R. (2003). "Descriptive Osteology of the Family Chaudhuriidae (Teleostei, Synbranchiformes, Mastacembeloidei), with a Discussion of Its Relationships". American Museum Novitates (3418): 1–62\. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2003)418<0001:DOOTFC>2.0.CO;2 - via ResearchGate.
5. ^ "Order ACANTHURIFORMES (part 6): Families GERREIDAE, LETHRINIDAE, NEMIPTERIDAE and SPARIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2025.

Taxon identifiers

Chaudhuriidae|

* Wikidata: Q148984
* Wikispecies: Chaudhuriidae
* BOLD: 499064
* CoL: 82H
* EoL: 5072
* GBIF: 5904
* iNaturalist: 85678
* IRMNG: 111443
* ITIS: 172699
* NCBI: 1778381
* Open Tree of Life: 3640949
* Paleobiology Database: 355243
* WoRMS: 154391

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