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Ribbon eel
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<h2 id="development">Development</h2> <p>Ribbon eels are a diurnal species (active during the daytime).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The species is characterized by its long, thin body and high <a href="/facts/Dorsal_fin/zAPuxI1G">dorsal fins</a>. The ribbon eel can easily be recognized by its expanded anterior nostrils and wide-open jaws. These eels can have up to 255 vertebrae in their back bone, making them one of the most narrow and elongated eel species known.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> The ribbon eel larva is described as a large, greenish <a href="/facts/Leptocephalus/8XHYqfuU">leptocephalus</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Based on observed color changes, it is generally considered a <a href="/facts/Hermaphrodite/C4aYIk4n">protandic hermaphrodite</a> (male to female transformation).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> When necessary, male ribbon eels will develop reproductive organs, lay eggs, and then die. This developmental stage happens within about a month.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> In their juvenile and subadult stages, ribbon eels appear primarily jet black with a yellow dorsal fin. In adult males, the black is replaced by a vibrant blue and yellow facial appearance. An adult female is entirely yellow or yellow with some blue to the posterior.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Color change related to sex change is not known from any other moray eel species. The blue adult males range from 65 to 94 cm (26 to 37 in) in length, while the larger yellow females can reach up to 130 cm (51 in).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> It is presumed that even with its significant color changes throughout its development, coloring does not play a significant role in mating for a ribbon eel because the eels are colorblind (possessing only one of the two <a href="/facts/Photoreceptor_cell/Ap0DcW5N">photoreceptor cells</a> required to see colors).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> In its natural habitat, ribbon eels can live up to twenty years.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="habitat">Habitat</h2> <p>Ribbon eels prefer more shallow-water areas compared to other moray eels, frequenting a depth range of 1 to 57 meters.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> This species is widely distributed and are seen by divers in Indonesian waters with their heads and anterior bodies protruding from crevices in sand and rubble habitats, like coral reefs, which they are able to slip through with their slime coat.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Typically, ribbon eels can be found in tropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Ocean, ranging from East Africa to southern Japan, Australia, and <a href="/facts/French_Polynesia/cMytpeeC">French Polynesia</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="taxonomy">Taxonomy</h2><p> The ribbon eel is the only one of its genus, <i>Rhinomuraena</i>, in the subspecies Muraeninae of the moray eel family. Its unique morphology, such as its <a href="/facts/Gonad/36BUam2x">gonad</a> structure and function are not shared with many of the other major genera in the family and provided evidence for separation. Typically, eels of the family urogenital system follow a posterior pattern toward the anus of the eel, but the <i>Rhinomuraena</i> system has its sex cells move anteriorly<i>.</i><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> This change is presumed to be due to some evolutionary cause, like <a href="/facts/Peripatric_speciation/QHcBA2Rc">peripatric speciation</a>. Previously, <i>R. quaesita</i> was used to identify the blue ribbon eels and <i>R. amboinensis</i> was used for black ribbon eels, but these are now recognized as the same species, <i>R. quaesita.</i></p> <h2 id="environmental-impacts">Environmental Impacts</h2><p> Ribbon eels are labeled "least concerned" on the <a href="/facts/IUCN_Red_List/8gemqCLu">IUCN Red List of Threatened Species</a> as of 2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> Recent studies on the effects of various environmental factors on marine eels have presented potential threats to the ribbon eel population. Marine eels that prefer to stay in shallower waters, specifically around coral reef habitats, are most at risk of suffering from the impacts of <a href="/facts/Coral_bleaching/LVNHFp9A">coral bleaching</a> and other marine habitat damage caused by <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a> or human activity (i.e. pollution).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> The shift in habitat structure and diversity could make it harder for ribbon eels to find enough prey to survive and reproduce. <a href="/facts/Overfishing/fAxN80Jo">Overfishing</a> is another concern as it can lead to a reduction in the number of ribbon eels and their available prey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a></p> <h2 id="captivity">Captivity</h2> <p>Most ribbon eels do not live longer than a year in captivity. Ribbon eels have been observed in many cases to stop eating after being captured and put into home aquariums.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> Higher levels of success have been achieved in <a href="/facts/Public_aquaria/tr5UcGwq">public aquaria</a>, where there are a few reported cases of <a href="/facts/Spawning/nYF12vfX">spawning</a> at facilities in Europe and North America.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> In captivity, the color differences are not related to maturity or gender.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> </p><p>Although captured for the aquarium industry, it remains common and widespread, and is not considered threatened.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> </p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=635624">"Rhinomuraena quaesita"</a>. <a href="/facts/Integrated_Taxonomic_Information_System/nVg7fQUG">Integrated Taxonomic Information System</a>. Retrieved 19 March 2006.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhinomuraena quaesita. <a href="/facts/Wikispecies/b2GhA7Le">Wikispecies</a> has information related to <i>Rhinomuraena quaesita</i>. <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Wang, Feng Yu; Tang, Meng Yun; Yan, Hong Young (2011). "A comparative study on the visual adaptations of four species of moray eel". Vision Research. 51 (9): 1099–1108. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 21385593. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Wang, Feng Yu; Tang, Meng Yun; Yan, Hong Young (2011). "A comparative study on the visual adaptations of four species of moray eel". Vision Research. 51 (9): 1099–1108. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 21385593. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Fishelson, L. (1 June 1990). "Rhinomuraena spp. (Pisces: Muraenidae): The first vertebrate genus with post-anally situated urogenital organs". Marine Biology. 105 (2): 253–257. Bibcode:1990MarBi.105..253F. doi:10.1007/BF01344294. ISSN 1432-1793. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344294" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344294</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Miller, Michael J.; Rutgers, Rob; Haythorne, Barry; Yavuzdoğan, Tunç; Obata, Seishoku; Wu, Tony; Rutgers, Henny; Powell, Jerry; Tsukamoto, Katsumi (2013). "Observations of large muraenid leptocephali in coastal Indonesia: locations of sightings and behaviour of the larvae". Marine Biodiversity Records. 6. Bibcode:2013MBdR....6E..82M. doi:10.1017/S1755267213000079. ISSN 1755-2672. <a href="http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1755267213000079" target="_blank">http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1755267213000079</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>De Mitcheson, Yvonne Sadovy; Liu, Min (2008). "Functional hermaphroditism in teleosts". Fish and Fisheries. 9 (1): 1–43. Bibcode:2008AqFF....9....1D. doi:10.1111/j.1467-2979.2007.00266.x. ISSN 1467-2960. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2007.00266.x" target="_blank">https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-2979.2007.00266.x</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Nezhukumatathil, Aimee (2020). World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-1571313652. <a href="978-1571313652" target="_blank">978-1571313652</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Nezhukumatathil, Aimee (2020). World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-1571313652. <a href="978-1571313652" target="_blank">978-1571313652</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Lieske, Ewald; Myers, Robert F. (1999). Coral reef fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton university press. ISBN 978-0-691-00481-5. <a href="978-0-691-00481-5" target="_blank">978-0-691-00481-5</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Randall, John E.; Allen, Gerald R.; Steene, Roger, eds. (1990). Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. A CHP book. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1346-8. <a href="978-0-8248-1346-8" target="_blank">978-0-8248-1346-8</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Lieske, Ewald; Myers, Robert F. (1999). Coral reef fishes: Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean including the Red Sea. Princeton (N.J.): Princeton university press. ISBN 978-0-691-00481-5. <a href="978-0-691-00481-5" target="_blank">978-0-691-00481-5</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Wang, Feng Yu; Tang, Meng Yun; Yan, Hong Young (2011). "A comparative study on the visual adaptations of four species of moray eel". Vision Research. 51 (9): 1099–1108. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 21385593. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Nezhukumatathil, Aimee (2020). World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-1571313652. <a href="978-1571313652" target="_blank">978-1571313652</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Wang, Feng Yu; Tang, Meng Yun; Yan, Hong Young (2011). "A comparative study on the visual adaptations of four species of moray eel". Vision Research. 51 (9): 1099–1108. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025. ISSN 0042-6989. PMID 21385593. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2011.02.025</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Pfaff, Cathrin; Zorzin, Roberto; Kriwet, Jürgen (11 August 2016). "Evolution of the locomotory system in eels (Teleostei: Elopomorpha)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 16 (1): 159. Bibcode:2016BMCEE..16..159P. doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0728-7. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4981956. PMID 27514517. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981956" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4981956</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>IUCN (4 February 2009). Rhinomuraena quaesita: McCosker, J.E.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T155301A115297865 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2010-4.rlts.t155301a4770176.en. <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0" target="_blank">http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Fishelson, L. (1 June 1990). "Rhinomuraena spp. (Pisces: Muraenidae): The first vertebrate genus with post-anally situated urogenital organs". Marine Biology. 105 (2): 253–257. Bibcode:1990MarBi.105..253F. doi:10.1007/BF01344294. ISSN 1432-1793. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344294" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01344294</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>IUCN (4 February 2009). Rhinomuraena quaesita: McCosker, J.E.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T155301A115297865 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2010-4.rlts.t155301a4770176.en. <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0" target="_blank">http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Miller, M. J.; Wouthuyzen, S.; Aoyama, J.; Sugeha, H. Y.; Watanabe, S.; Kuroki, M.; Syahailatua, A.; Suharti, S.; Hagihara, S.; Tantu, F. Y.; Trianto; Otake, T.; Tsukamoto, K. (2021). "Will the High Biodiversity of Eels in the Coral Triangle be Affected by Climate Change?". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 789 (1): 012011. Bibcode:2021E&ES..789a2011M. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011. ISSN 1755-1315. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Miller, M. J.; Wouthuyzen, S.; Aoyama, J.; Sugeha, H. Y.; Watanabe, S.; Kuroki, M.; Syahailatua, A.; Suharti, S.; Hagihara, S.; Tantu, F. Y.; Trianto; Otake, T.; Tsukamoto, K. (2021). "Will the High Biodiversity of Eels in the Coral Triangle be Affected by Climate Change?". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 789 (1): 012011. Bibcode:2021E&ES..789a2011M. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011. ISSN 1755-1315. <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011" target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/789/1/012011</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Nezhukumatathil, Aimee (2020). World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-1571313652. <a href="978-1571313652" target="_blank">978-1571313652</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Preininger, D.; Halbauer, R.; Bartsch, V.; Weissenbacher, A. (2015). "First observations of fertilized eggs and preleptocephalus larvae of Rhinomuraena quaesita in the Vienna Zoo". Zoo Biol. 34 (1): 85–88. doi:10.1002/zoo.21184. PMID 25385394. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Preininger, D.; Halbauer, R.; Bartsch, V.; Weissenbacher, A. (2015). "First observations of fertilized eggs and preleptocephalus larvae of Rhinomuraena quaesita in the Vienna Zoo". Zoo Biol. 34 (1): 85–88. doi:10.1002/zoo.21184. PMID 25385394. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>IUCN (4 February 2009). Rhinomuraena quaesita: McCosker, J.E.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T155301A115297865 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2010-4.rlts.t155301a4770176.en. <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0" target="_blank">http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/155301/0</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>