Basketwork eel

Diastobranchus capensis

Fish
IUCN: Vulnerable

Usual depth860–1,188 m
Water temperature4–27 °C
Best monthsJanuary and August
How commonCommon

About this species

The basketwork eel, Diastobranchus capensis, is a cutthroat eel, the only species in the genus Diastobranchus. It is found off southern Australia, South Africa, and around New Zealand, in depths over 1,000 m. Its length is between 80 and 120 cm.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Basketwork eel”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 78 records
February: 46 records
March: 18 records
April: 27 records
May: 45 records
June: 19 records
July: 38 records
August: 65 records
September: 27 records
October: 27 records
November: 42 records
December: 46 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 860–1,188 m · Deepest record: 2,079 m

30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120–130 m: 0 records
130–140 m: 0 records
140+ m: 6,662 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 4–27 °C

4–6 °C: 3 records
6–8 °C: 4 records
8–10 °C: 30 records
10–12 °C: 163 records
12–14 °C: 127 records
14–16 °C: 426 records
16–18 °C: 128 records
18–20 °C: 25 records
20–22 °C: 15 records
22–24 °C: 3 records
24–26 °C: 0 records
26–28 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Basketwork eel, basketwork eel, Deepsea Eel, ooze eel

Names in 1 more languages

French: Egorgé à oeil bleu

Other scientific names: Diastobranchus danae, Ilyophis capensis, Synaphobranchus capensis, Synaphobranchus danae

Similar species

Kaup's arrowtooth eel
Synaphobranchus kaupii
Parasitic eel
Simenchelys parasitica
Grey cutthroat eel
Synaphobranchus affinis
Atractodenchelys robinsorum
Shortbelly eel
Dysomma anguillare
Dysomma polycatodon

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
6,915 open-data records from 1929 to 2018.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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