MEPS 188:299-303 (1999)  -  doi:10.3354/meps188299

ABSTRACT: In order to determine the species composition and inshore migration of the tropical eels Anguilla spp. migrating to an Indonesian river, we collected 21633 glass eels at the mouth of the Poigar River, north Sulawesi Island, throughout 1997, and subjected these samples to both morphological examination and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. Three species, Anguilla celebesensis, A. marmorata and A. bicolor pacifica, were found throughout the season in fluctuating abundance, while the previously recorded A. borneensis was not recognized in the study. A. celebesensis constituted a dominant 88.3% of all glass eels migrating to the Poigar River in 1997, and was seen throughout most of the year, with a peak in May and June. A. marmorata (11.3%) was also seen throughout most of the year, with peak occurrence in June. A. bicolor pacifica (0.4%) occurred only in January, March, April, October and December.

KEY WORDS: Eel · Glass eel · Tropical Anguilla spp. · Mitochondrial DNA · Species identification · Species composition · Inshore migration