Range and Identity
Anguilla obscura occurs in the Pacific from western New Guinea and Queensland toward the Society Islands. A reported South African specimen is considered questionable in the checked treatment and is not used here as a confirmed extension of that range.
Habitat and Behavior
Adults and subadults use streams, lakes, swamps and coastal lagoons, with a preference for lower river reaches in the compiled account. Much of the growth phase occurs in fresh or brackish water. The spawning phase takes place in the sea rather than in the same inland habitat.
Food and Life History
The reported maximum is 110 centimeters total length, with sixty centimeters as a common reference. Foods include fishes, crustaceans and mollusks. The species is described as reproducing once, but a precise universal migration route is not established in the summary.
Field Note
Include life stage and whether a locality is inland, estuarine or marine. Those settings represent different parts of the eel’s life cycle rather than conflicting habitat descriptions.
All Lakes With Shortfinned Eel
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Shortfinned Eel records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.