Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Darwin Building, 99-105 Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.
Curr Biol. 2023 Sep 11;33(17):R888-R893. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.044.
Anguillid eels have fascinated humans for centuries, but our knowledge of these mysterious fish is still scant. There are 19 species or subspecies in the genus Anguilla, which are found globally, except in the eastern Pacific and southern Atlantic. Their common label 'freshwater eels' is a misnomer - all anguillids are facultatively catadromous, born in marine environments, developing in continental waters, with a proportion never entering freshwater at all. Anguillid eels have several life history traits that have allowed them to exploit a broad range of habitats. As such, anguillid eels play an important ecological role in both marine and freshwater environments as well as being commercially valuable. Because of this, anguillid eels are under threat from multiple stressors, such as barriers to migration, pollution, parasites, disease, climate change and unsustainable exploitation. Six species are listed as Threatened in the Red List of Threatened Species, and four are listed as Data Deficient. Strengthening conservation and management of these species is essential, and further research provides an exciting opportunity to develop a greater understanding of this mysterious clade of fish.
鳗鲡类已经引起人类的兴趣长达数个世纪，但我们对这些神秘鱼类的了解仍然很少。鳗鲡属有 19 个种或亚种，分布于全球，除了东太平洋和南大西洋。它们常见的标签“淡水鳗鱼”是一个错误的名称——所有鳗鲡都是兼性洄游性的，出生于海洋环境，在大陆水域发育，其中一部分根本不会进入淡水。鳗鲡类有几个生活史特征，使它们能够利用广泛的栖息地。因此，鳗鲡类在海洋和淡水环境中都发挥着重要的生态作用，并且具有商业价值。正因为如此，鳗鲡类受到多种胁迫因素的威胁，如洄游障碍、污染、寄生虫、疾病、气候变化和不可持续的开发。有 6 个物种被列入《濒危物种红色名录》，4 个物种被列为数据不足。加强对这些物种的保护和管理至关重要，进一步的研究为深入了解这一神秘鱼类分支提供了一个令人兴奋的机会。
