Family SERRIVOMERIDAE
Sawtooth Eels
Compiler and date details
John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates & Douglass F. Hoese
Introduction
Serrivomerids are represented worldwide by two genera and about ten species (Tighe 1989). In Australia, two species in one genus have been recorded.
Sawtooth eels are meso- and bathypelagic in all oceans. Crustaceans form the main component of their diet. Serrivomerids are characterised by elongate jaws (but not as produced as in the Nemichthyidae), strong vomerine teeth, dorsal fin origin over or behind the anal fin and no obvious lateral line pores. Sexual dimorphism is apparent, males being smaller than females. Serrivomerids may exceed 60 cm in length.
The sawtooth eels have not been reviewed comprehensively and species from the Southern Ocean are seriously in need of revision. Studies of the genus Serrivomer have been made by Beebe & Crane (1936) and Bauchot-Boutin (1953, 1959).
General References
Bauchot-Boutin, M.-L. 1959. Etude des larves leptocéphales du groupe Leptocephalus lanceolatus Strömman et identification à la famille des Serrivomeridae. Dana Reports 48: 1-148 figs 1-105 pls 1-2
Bauchot-Boutin, M.L. 1953. Révision synoptique du genre Serrivomer (Anguilliformes). Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 25(4): 365-367 4 figs
Beebe, W. & Crane, J. 1936. Deep-sea fishes of the Bermuda Oceanographic expeditions. No 3. Family Serrivomeridae. Part I. Genus Serrivomer. Zoologica (New York) 20(3): 53-102 figs 23-42
Tighe, K.A. 1989. Serrivomeridae. pp. 613-627 in Böhlke, E.B. (ed.). Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes. New Haven : The Sears Foundation of Marine Research, Yale University Pt 9 Vol. 1 655 pp.
Common Name References
Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 1397-2068 pp. [1691] (FAO) (Sawtooth Eels)