''Gorgasia preclara'', the splendid garden eel or orange-barred garden eel, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of marine

garden eel The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of garden eels live in the Indo-Pacific, but species are also found in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean (including the Caribbean) and East Paci ...

Description

The splendid garden eel is a medium-sized fish, up to 40 cm maximum length. Its body has a circular shape with a diameter of about 10 mm. Its body color is yellow to orange with characteristic white bands.

Distribution and habitat

''Gorgasia preclara'' is widespread throughout the

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

waters of the

Indo-West Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

area from the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

to Indonesian archipelago and the

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

and north to

Ryukyu The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...

, Japanese archipelagos, and south to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It occurs in sandy areas exposed to currents at depths between 18 and 75 m, but is usually observed at an average depth of 30 m.

Biology

The splendid garden eel lives in a buried tube in the sand either alone or in groups ranging anywhere from three to over a thousand eels. Typically, only its head and uppermost body protrudes from the sand, and it will retreat entirely if approached by large fish or divers. They feed on drifting

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

.Myers, R.F., 1999. Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.

Reproduction

During mating season male and female eels will move burrows to increase proximity to one another. Males will often engage in a courtship display of protective behaviors and may bite rival eels. After a male has won a display, the male and female eel will stretch from their burrows to intertwine bodies. Splendid garden eels are pelagic spawners, meaning that female eels will release fertilized eggs into the current. When the eggs hatch in the current, larvae continue to float until they reach a certain size. Once they've hit this size threshold juvenile eels will dig their sand burrow.

References

External links

* preclara Marine fish of Northern Australia Fish described in 1981 Taxa named by James Erwin Böhlke Taxa named by John Ernest Randall {{Anguilliformes-stub