Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Actinopterygii > Order: Anguilliformes > Family: Anguillidae > Genus: Anguilla > Species: Anguilla anguilla

Common eel - Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)

Images from the web

Quick facts

Threat status Europe	Critically Endangered (IUCN)
Protected by	9 international agreements
Natura 2000 sites	4 are designated for this species

Distribution

The distribution map is currently disabled. A new map solution will soon become available. In the meantime, please consult other species distribution map providers listed in the Other resources panel below.

Threat and conservation status

IUCN Red List status of threatened species

The IUCN Red List threat status assesses the risk of extinction.

World

Critically Endangered

Europe

Critically Endangered

IUCN Red List Category

Not Evaluated	Near Threatened	Regionally Extinct
Not Applicable	Vulnerable	Extinct in the Wild
Data Deficient	Endangered	Extinct
Least Concern	Critically Endangered

Sources:

EU conservation status

The EU conservation status is assessed for species mentioned in the EU Habitats Directive annexes. The EU Habitats Directive does not cover this species.

Natura 2000 sites

Protected in the following Natura 2000 sites

Sitecode	Country	Site name	Action
CY6000010	Cyprus	ZONI EIDIKIS PROSTASIAS LIMNI OROKLINIS	Map
CY4000010	Cyprus	CHERSONISOS AKAMA	Map
CY6000011	Cyprus	LIMNI OROKLINIS	Map
CY4000023	Cyprus	ZONI EIDIKIS PROSTASIAS CHERSONISOS AKAMA	Map

Protected sites

Please note the site map takes a while to display.

Legal status

Mentioned in the following international legal instruments and agreements

Legal text	Annex	Conditions	More information
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)	Annex II: (a) all species which, although not necessarily now threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival; and (b) other species which must be subject to regulation in order that trade in specimens of certain species referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph may be brought under effective control.	Synonym for this species is listed in CITES. See there for more details.	http://www.cites.org/eng
	Annex II: (a) all species which, although not necessarily now threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival; and (b) other species which must be subject to regulation in order that trade in specimens of certain species referred to in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph may be brought under effective control.
Commission regulation (EU) No 1320/2014, of 1 December 2014, amending Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein (EU regulation of trade of fauna and flora)	Annex B includes: All other CITES Appendix II species, except where EU Member States have entered a reservation; Some CITES Appendix III species * Some non-CITES species		http://ec.europa.eu/environm...s/legislation_en.htm
Barcelona Convention Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol)	Annex III of Barcelona Convention Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (Species whose exploitation is regulated)	Synonym for this species is listed in Appendix III of the Barcelona Convention Protocol. See there for more details.	http://rac-spa.org/protocol http://rac-spa.org/sites/def...sion_ig_19_12_en.pdf
	Annex III of Barcelona Convention Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (Species whose exploitation is regulated)		http://rac-spa.org/protocol http://rac-spa.org/sites/def...sion_ig_19_12_en.pdf
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic ("OSPAR Convention") (OSPAR Convention)	Initial OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats (Reference Number: 2003-14) in addition to Annex V		http://www.ospar.org/content...240000_000000_000000
	or declining species in the North East Atlantic. The purpose of the list is to guide the OSPAR Commission in setting priorities for its further work on the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity. The inclusion of a species or of a type of habitat on this list has no other significance.	Synonym for this species is listed in OSPAR Convention. See there for more details.
Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention)	Threatened and/or declining species in the Baltic Sea		http://www.helcom.fi/action-areas/species-and-habitats
EC Regulation No 1100/2007 establishing measures for the recovery of the stock of European eel (The Eel Regulation)			https://ec.europa.eu/fisheri...-are-we-after-decade https://www.cms.int/sharks/s...Eel%20-%20Bernal.pdf https://ec.europa.eu/fisheri...-are-we-after-decade https://www.cms.int/sharks/s...Eel%20-%20Bernal.pdf

Common names and synonyms

Common Name	Language	Reference
Aal	Dutch	Fishbase
Aal	German	Fishbase
Ahlen	German	Fishbase
Ål	Danish	Fishbase
Ål	Norwegian	Fishbase
Ål	Swedish	Fishbase
Áll	Icelandic	Fishbase
An eascann	Irish (recte Irish Gaelic)	Fishbase
Angèle	French	Fishbase
Anghila	Romanian	Fishbase
Angolna	Hungarian	Fishbase
Anguielo	French	Fishbase
Anguila	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguila europea	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla	Italian	Fishbase
Anguilla	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla catarrojina	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla europeana	Romanian	Fishbase
Anguilla fartona	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla maresa	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla martina	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla pastorenca	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguilla pugaron	Spanish	Fishbase
Anguille	French	Fishbase
Anguille argentée	French	Fishbase
Anguille d'Europe	French	Fishbase
Anguille jaune	French	Fishbase
Ankerias	Finnish	Fishbase
Blankaal	German	Fishbase
Bomarinque	French	Fishbase
Bouiron	French	Fishbase
Chéli	Greek	Fishbase
Civelle	French	Fishbase
Common eel	English	Fishbase
Coureuse	French	Fishbase
De la riviere	French	Fishbase
Eascann	Irish (recte Irish Gaelic)	Fishbase
Eiró	Portuguese	Fishbase
Enguia	Portuguese	Fishbase
Enguia-europeia	Portuguese	Fishbase
Europaischer Aal	German	Fishbase
European eel	English	Fishbase
Europeisk ål	Swedish	Fishbase
Evropeiskiy ugor'	Russian	Fishbase
Flußaal	German	Fishbase
Gelbaal	German	Fishbase
Gemeiner Aal	German	Fishbase
Gemeiner Flubaal	German	Fishbase
Hel	Romanian	Fishbase
Jagula	Macedonian	Fishbase
Jegula	Slovenian	Fishbase
Jegulja	Serbian	Fishbase
Jegulja	Slovenian	Fishbase
Margignou	French	Fishbase
Ngjala	Albanian	Fishbase
Njala	Albanian	Fishbase
Ogor	Romanian	Fishbase
Paling	Dutch	Fishbase
Pibale	French	Fishbase
Pimperneau	French	Fishbase
Pougau	French	Fishbase
Pounchurote	French	Fishbase
Pounchuroto	French	Fishbase
Resso	French	Fishbase
Retschnoi ugor	Russian	Fishbase
Sallura	Maltese	Fishbase
Sili	French	Fishbase
Sing eel	English	Fishbase
Thaoundella	French	Fishbase
Thaudelo	French	Fishbase
Uhor rícní	Czech	Fishbase
Verniau	French	Fishbase
Weed eel	English	Fishbase
Wegorz	Polish	Fishbase
Wegorz europejski	Polish	Fishbase
Yilan baligi	Turkish	Fishbase
Yilan balyghi	Turkish	Fishbase
Zmiorca	Bulgarian	Fishbase
Zmiorka	Bulgarian	Fishbase

Synonym	Author
Anguilla acutirrostris	Risso, 1826
Anguilla aegyptiaca	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla altirrostris	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla ancidda	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla bibroni	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla brevirostris	Cisternas, 1877
Anguilla cuvieri	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla fluviatilis	Anslijn, 1828
Anguilla hibernica	Couch, 1865
Anguilla latirostris	Risso, 1826
Anguilla marginata	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla microptera	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla migratoria	Krøyer, 1849
Anguilla acutirostris	Risso, 1826
Anguilla altirostris	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla callensis	Guichenot, 1850
Anguilla canariensis	Valenciennes, 1843
Anguilla capitone	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla cloacina	Bonaparte, 1846
Anguilla eurystoma	Heckel & Kner, 1858
Anguilla kieneri	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla mediorostris	Risso, 1826
Anguilla melanochir	Kaup 1857
Anguilla morena	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla nilotica	Kaup, 1857
Anguilla oblongirostris	Blanchard, 1866
Anguilla platycephala	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla platyrhynchus	Costa, 1850
Anguilla savignyi	Kaup, 1856
Anguilla septembrina	Bonaparte, 1846
Anguilla vulgaris	Shaw, 1803
Muraena anguilla var. ornithorhyncha	De la Pylaie 1835
Muraena platyura	De la Pylaie 1835
Leptocephalus brevirostris	Kaup, 1856
Muraena anguilla	Linnaeus, 1758
Muraena oxyrhina	Ekström, 1832
Muraena platyrhina	Ekström 1832
Muraena macrocephala	De la Pylaie, 1835
Muraena oxycephala	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla fluviatilis	Heckel & Kner, 1858
Muraena anguilla maculata	Chiereghini, 1872
Anguilla linnei	Malm, 1877
Anguilla nilotica	Heckel, 1846
Anguilla vulgaris ornithorhincha	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla vulgaris platyura	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla vulgaris marina	Rafinesque, 1810
Anguilla vulgaris fluviatilis	Rafinesque, 1810
Anguilla vulgaris lacustus	Rafinesque, 1810
Anguilla anguilla ornithorhyncha	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla anguilla macrocephala	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla anguilla oxycephala	De la Pylaie, 1835
Anguilla marina	Nardo, 1860
Anguilla anguillia	(Linnaeus, 1758)

Other resources

CoL (accepted name)	Catalogue of Life
Fauna Europaea	Fauna Europaea
FishBase	FishBase
GBIF	Global Biodiversity Information Facility
ITIS (Valid name)	Interagency Taxonomic Information System
NCBI search	National Center for Biotechnology Information
PESI (Accepted)	Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure
Species+	Species+ by UNEP-WCMC
Wikipedia	Wikipedia
WoRMS	World Register of Marine Species

External data

No external data sets available for this species

Write to us

Call us

Sections