148
ANTON F. BRUUN
(1931), speaking about the silver eel, writes (p. 21) : “ Pour le lac de
Tunis, par esemple, on est siir d’avoir, en debut de saison, une grando
majorit6 de petits exemplaires: anguilles de 30 ZL 40 cm, d’un poids de
50 B. 100 g, et qui constitueront aussi la presque totalit6 des prises. Puis
des individus plus grands sont cspturh: 40 ZL 60 cm, 100 A 400 g, et
enfin ds tr&s gros sujets, long d’un mktre et plus et pesant 1 ou 2 kg.
En Algkrie, par contre, le lac Fczzara, en communication avec la mer
par la Seybouze, fournit presquc exclusivement de grosses anguilles
d’un kg et plus; le lac Melah donne regulikrement 50% d’anguilles
moyc.niic.s d’cnviron 300 g ct SO‘%) do grosses anguillcs clc 80 -90 cm,
tl’criviroii 1 kg:.”
1 1 1 lakv ‘l’iiiiis t 1 1 ~
snidlwt group comprises mostly II~ILICR, arid it is
intcrcstiiig to riotc that the small nialcs depart before the higger females,
and that the biggest females are the last to leave for the ocean ; this is
in very good agreement with Tucker’s argument (1959c, p. 1282) that
larger individuals are faster swimmers, except that he uses it about
A . anguillu versus A . rostrata, under the wrong supposition that A .
rostrata is essentially larger than A . anguilla. For comparison of lengthweight I cite some figures from Gandolfi-Hornyold (1930, p. 34):
96 cm-1675 g ; 99 cm-1620 g ; 99 cm-2210 g : 100 cm-2190 g ;
101 cm-1780 g ; 101 cm-1890 g. These figures also show a very great
variation of weight of fish of the same length.
Much more material has been published, but I have only wanted to
show that there is no very great size difference between the two species,
and that Tucker has also neglected to discuss the fact that A . rostrata
males are just as small ns the Euiopem.
Nc~xl, ‘I’iictkcAr i H t,oLally wrong t~hoiit, what, tiin t,r,rmN Hilver eel and
1 ) r t ~ t ~ z t ~
(vQJ i r t w r i w t i r l i i I t ( * tJiiiiltrr t z l i d , in A . u q w ’ / / u 1 J i r t Hilvw twl in
morc. ~ L ~ I v ~ L I I C ( ~ ( I
t h i ~ i i t h Lronw ( v b l , M y own rxp:ritwx* orily conlirtns
Sviirtlson’s ( 194‘3) slid I t u s m u ~ s ~ r i ’ ~
( 1‘352) obwrvations, which clcarly
state that it is just the opposite; or as Sviirdmn sums it up, we should
distinguish between four different stages of the eel :
1. Larval stage (Leptocephalus stage)
2. Yellow stage
3. Silvery stage
4. Nuptial stage
Svardson has observed two females and two ma1c.q in what he calls
partial nuptial dress, and Rasmussen reports on two fcmaien. Naturally, nobody knows so far what is really the nuptial drew, the morc RO
because in none of them were thc gonads essentially more advanced
than in the normal silver eel. In any case these largo-cycrl bronzu WIH
ANTON F. BRUUN
(1931), speaking about the silver eel, writes (p. 21) : “ Pour le lac de
Tunis, par esemple, on est siir d’avoir, en debut de saison, une grando
majorit6 de petits exemplaires: anguilles de 30 ZL 40 cm, d’un poids de
50 B. 100 g, et qui constitueront aussi la presque totalit6 des prises. Puis
des individus plus grands sont cspturh: 40 ZL 60 cm, 100 A 400 g, et
enfin ds tr&s gros sujets, long d’un mktre et plus et pesant 1 ou 2 kg.
En Algkrie, par contre, le lac Fczzara, en communication avec la mer
par la Seybouze, fournit presquc exclusivement de grosses anguilles
d’un kg et plus; le lac Melah donne regulikrement 50% d’anguilles
moyc.niic.s d’cnviron 300 g ct SO‘%) do grosses anguillcs clc 80 -90 cm,
tl’criviroii 1 kg:.”
1 1 1 lakv ‘l’iiiiis t 1 1 ~
snidlwt group comprises mostly II~ILICR, arid it is
intcrcstiiig to riotc that the small nialcs depart before the higger females,
and that the biggest females are the last to leave for the ocean ; this is
in very good agreement with Tucker’s argument (1959c, p. 1282) that
larger individuals are faster swimmers, except that he uses it about
A . anguillu versus A . rostrata, under the wrong supposition that A .
rostrata is essentially larger than A . anguilla. For comparison of lengthweight I cite some figures from Gandolfi-Hornyold (1930, p. 34):
96 cm-1675 g ; 99 cm-1620 g ; 99 cm-2210 g : 100 cm-2190 g ;
101 cm-1780 g ; 101 cm-1890 g. These figures also show a very great
variation of weight of fish of the same length.
Much more material has been published, but I have only wanted to
show that there is no very great size difference between the two species,
and that Tucker has also neglected to discuss the fact that A . rostrata
males are just as small ns the Euiopem.
Nc~xl, ‘I’iictkcAr i H t,oLally wrong t~hoiit, what, tiin t,r,rmN Hilver eel and
1 ) r t ~ t ~ z t ~
(vQJ i r t w r i w t i r l i i I t ( * tJiiiiltrr t z l i d , in A . u q w ’ / / u 1 J i r t Hilvw twl in
morc. ~ L ~ I v ~ L I I C ( ~ ( I
t h i ~ i i t h Lronw ( v b l , M y own rxp:ritwx* orily conlirtns
Sviirtlson’s ( 194‘3) slid I t u s m u ~ s ~ r i ’ ~
( 1‘352) obwrvations, which clcarly
state that it is just the opposite; or as Sviirdmn sums it up, we should
distinguish between four different stages of the eel :
1. Larval stage (Leptocephalus stage)
2. Yellow stage
3. Silvery stage
4. Nuptial stage
Svardson has observed two females and two ma1c.q in what he calls
partial nuptial dress, and Rasmussen reports on two fcmaien. Naturally, nobody knows so far what is really the nuptial drew, the morc RO
because in none of them were thc gonads essentially more advanced
than in the normal silver eel. In any case these largo-cycrl bronzu WIH