Earthworm eel

Chaudhuriidae, is a family of small freshwater eel-like fish related to the swamp eels and spiny eels, commonly known as the earthworm eels. The known species are literally the size and shape of earthworms, thus the family name. While one species, Chaudhuria caudata was reported from the Inle Lake by Nelson Annandale in 1918, the others have been only recently reported (since the 1970s), all in the eastern Asia area, from India to Korea.[2]

Positioning eel traps in Inle Lake (Myanmar).

Earthworm eel
Chaudhuria caudata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Synbranchiformes
Suborder:	Mastacembeloidei
Family:	Chaudhuriidae Annandale, 1918
Genera
Bihunichthys Kottelat & Lim, 1994 Chaudhuria Annandale, 1918 Chendol Kottelat & Lim, 1994 Garo Yazdani & Talwar, 1981 Nagaichthys Kottelat & Lim, 1991 Pillaia Yazdani, 1972 Pillaiabrachia Britz, 2016 [1]

Neither the dorsal nor anal fins have spines, and in Nagaichthys and Pillaia they have fused with the caudal fin; in the other genera, the caudal is small but separate. Their bodies have no scales. The few specimens found to date have been no longer than 8 cm, and Nagaichthys filipes is only known to reach 3.1 cm. The eyes are small, covered in thick skin.[3] Almost nothing is known of the habits and biology of the earthworm eels.

The family name "Chaudhuriidae" comes from a Burmese local name for a fish.

References

1. Britz, R. (2016): Pillaiabrachia siniae, a new species of earthworm eel from northern Myanmar (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes: Chaudhuriidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 27 (1): 41-47.
2. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2016). "Chaudhuriidae" in FishBase. January 2016 version.
3. Britz, R. (2003): Descriptive Osteology of the Family Chaudhuriidae (Teleostei, Synbranchiformes, Mastacembeloidei), with a Discussion of Its Relationships. American Museum Novitates, 3418: 1-62.