Two new records of worm or spaghetti eel genus <em>Moringua</em> (Anguilliformes: Moringuidae) from estuaries and lagoons in Vietnam

Van Quang Vo; Ho Huans-Ching; Yusuke Hibino

doi:10.15625/1859-3097/22728

Author affiliations

Authors

Quang Van Vo Institute of Oceanography, VAST, Vietnam
Huans-Ching Ho National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, No. 1, University Rd., Yanchao Dist., Kaohsiung City 824005, Taiwan; Australia Museum, Sydney, Australia
Yusuke Hibino Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 805-0071, Japan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15625/1859-3097/22728

Keywords:

Taxonomy, ichthyology, new records

Abstract

During a survey of central Vietnam estuaries and lagoons, 82 specimens of two newly recorded worm eels species, Moringua microchir Bleeker, 1853 and Moringua raitaborua (Hamilton, 1822) for Vietnam were collected and their morphometric and meristic details were recorded. Moringua microchir is characterized by a body depth of 30–44.5 in total length (TL), head length (HL) 8.7–10.7 in TL, anus far behind mid-body, distances from the tip of snout to the anus 1.5–1.6 in TL, pectoral fin small and rudimentary, 10.6–30.5 in HL, and total vertebrae 105–108. Moringua raitaborua is distinguished by a body depth of 26.7–40.9 in TL, HL 7.4–8.7 in TL, rictus before the posterior margin of the eye, pectoral fin small, but not rudimentary, 3.3–5.8 in HL and total vertebrae 102–104. Morphological variations occur in the ontogenetic stage and they differ significantly in appearance at different growth stages. This discovery suggests that these two species have broader distributions in Vietnam.

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References

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