Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Anguilliformes (Eels)
Family: Ophichthidae (Snake eels and worm eels)
Subfamily: Ophichthinae (Snake eels)
Genus: Pisodonophis
Species: P. boro
Common/local names
English: Rice-paddy eel
Bangladesh: Bamosh (বামোশ), Boro baim (বোরো বাইম), Kharu (খারু), Hijra (হিজরা), Kecho baim (কেঁচো বাইম) and Nol baim (নল বাইম).
Distributions: Indo-west Pacific (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Conservation status: Not threatened in Bangladesh (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Synonyms
Conger microstoma Eydoux & Souleyet, 1850
Ophichthys boro (Hamilton, 1822)
Ophisurus baccidens Cantor, 1849
Ophisurus boro Hamilton, 1822
Ophisurus brachysoma Bleeker, 1852
Ophisurus caudatus McClelland, 1844
Ophisurus harancha Hamilton, 1822
Ophisurus potamophilus Bleeker, 1853
Ophisurus schaapii Bleeker, 1853
Ophisurus sinensis Richardson, 1848
Ophiurus baccidens Cantor, 1849
Pisodonophis assamensis Sen, 1986
Morphology: Body elongate, snake-like cylindrical. Tubular anterior nostril. Lateral line inconspicuous and 171-173 vertebrae (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Body scales-less. No lateral line (Shafi and Quddus, 2001). No pelvic fins. Dorsal originates about a pectoral fin length behind tip of pectoral fins (Huda et al., 2003). Pectoral rounded.
Body color brownish-olive on upper portion and lighter below. Minute black spots on body (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Dorsal fin with a narrow black edge.
Fin formula: D. 320-400; P. 113; A. 250-270 (Shafi and Quddus, 2001)
Maximum lengths: 70 cm (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; Huda et al., 2003) and 42 cm (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).
Habitats: Estuaries, rivers and floodplains (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). Lagoons and estuaries; also enters freshwater and paddy fields (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Found in the Sundarbans (Huda et al., 2003). Found in holes in river bottom (Rahman, 2005).
Food and feeding: Feeds on small fishes at night (Rahman, 1989 and 2005).
Fishery info: Caught incidentally to other fishes (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Abundantly found in areas south to the Khulna district of Bangladesh (Shafi and Quddus, 2001).
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REFERENCES
Bleeker P (1853) Bijdrage tot de kennis der Muraenoïden en Symbranchoïden van den Indischen Archipel. Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen.25(5):1-62+ 63-75.
Cantor TE (1849) Catalogue of Malayan fishes. Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 18(2): i-xii + 983-1443, Pls. 1-14.
Eydoux JFT and Souleyet FA (1850) Poissons. Pp. 155-216. In: Voyage autour du monde exécuté pendant les années 1836 et 1837 sur la corvette La Bonite, commandée par M. Vaillant. Zoologie, Vol. 1 (pt 2). Paris. Voyage autour du monde exécuté pendant les années 1836 et 1837 sur la corvette La Bonite, commandée par M. Vaillant. Zoologie, 1(2): i-iv, i-xxxix, 1-334, Pls. 1-10.
Hamilton F (1822) An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.
Huda MS, Haque ME, Babul AS and Shil NC (ed.) (2003) Field guide to finfishes of Sundarban, Aquatic resources division, Sundarban, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh, p. 56.
IUCN Bangladesh (2000) Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
McClelland J (1844) Apodal fishes of Bengal. Calcutta Journal of Natural History 5(18):151-226, Pls. 5-14.
Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 43-44.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 58-59.
Richardson J (1848) Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror,… In: J. Richardson & J. E. Gray. The zoology of the voyage of H. H. S. “Erebus & Terror,” under the command of Captain Sir J. C. Ross … during … 1839-43. London. Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror,… 2(2): i-viii + 1-139, Pls. 1-60.
Shafi M and Quddus MMA (2001) Bangladesher Matsho Shampad (Fisheries of Bangladesh) (in Bengali), Kabir publication. Dhaka, Bangladesh. pp. 21-22.
Sen TK (1986) Description of a new species, Pisodonophis, assamensis, a new eel from lower Assam with a key to the Indian Ophichthidae (family: Ophichthidae / genus: Pisodonophis). Bulletin of the Zoological Survey of India 7(2-3): 241-244.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 1, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, pp. 86-87.
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