Rice eel (rice eel)

Japanese: タウナギ(田鰻) - タウナギ（英語表記）rice eel

A single genus and species of freshwater fish in the family Anguilliformes and family Pectiniidae (illustration). At first glance it resembles an eel, but it has a large head, a tapered rear body, and a pointed tail. Its body is reddish brown with scattered black spots. It reaches a total length of 70-80 cm. Other notable features include the lack of pectoral and pelvic fins, with the dorsal and anal fins made only of skin folds, and the fact that the gill slits open on the underside and are connected to the left and right, making this group unique in terms of its lineage. Pectiniformes are found in Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula, and mainly live in rice paddies and shallow ponds.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

タウナギ目タウナギ科の淡水魚で1属1種（イラスト）。一見ウナギに似るが，頭が大きくて体の後部はしだいに細くなり尾端がとがる。体色は赤褐色で，黒い小斑点が散在する。全長70～80cmに達する。胸びれと腹びれがなく，背びれとしりびれが皮褶（ひしゆう）だけでできている点や，鰓孔（えらあな）が下面に開き，左右のものが接続する点も目だった特徴で，この仲間は系統上特異な群とされる。タウナギは東南アジアから中国，台湾，朝鮮半島にかけて分布し，おもに水田や浅い池沼に生息する。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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