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Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali, that were thought to be new fish species, or whose adult eel species were not known. Leptocephali differ so much in appearance from their adults that the larvae and adults of eels are not easily matched, and when first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fishes, but not eels. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for unidentified leptocephali even after it was known that these were the larvae of eels thus becoming a "wastebasket taxon", but this practice is no longer used. Examples of marine congrid larvae, found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea that were named this way are listed below. Only two species in two families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.
Heteroconger is a genus of marine congrid eels. These small, slender garden eels live in groups where each individual has its own burrow. Usually, only the head and front half of the body is visible. The greatest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific, but species are also found in the warmer parts of the Atlantic and the eastern Pacific. Its name relates to how a huge colony of the eels looks swaying in the current.
The gardens eel are the subfamily Heterochongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of garden eels live in the Indo-Pacific, but species are also found in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean and East Pacific. These small eels live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from their practice of poking their heads from their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. Since they tend to live in groups, the many eel heads "growing" from the sea floor resemble the plants in a garden. They vary greatly in colour depending on the exact species involved. The largest species reaches about 120 cm (47 in) in length, but most species do not surpass 60 cm (24 in). Garden eel colonies can grow as large as one acre in surface area.
The bristletooth conger is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by David G. Smith and Robert H. Kanazawa in 1989. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including northeastern Florida, U.S.A.; the Gulf of Mexico, the Amazon River, the Bahamas and the West Indies. It dwells at a depth range of 140–825 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 87.6 centimeters.
Gorgasia cotroneii is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Umberto D'Ancona in 1928, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Red Sea, in the western Indian Ocean.
Heteroconger balteatus is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known to dwell at a minimum depth of 46 m (151 ft), and inhabits regions of current, where it forms burrows in sand. It enters its burrows tail-first. Females can reach a maximum total length of 33.1 cm.
Heteroconger camelopardalis is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Hugh Roger Lubbock in 1980. It is a non-migratory marine, tropical eel which is known from the southwestern and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including northeastern Brazil and Ascension Island. Its population is abundant in Brazil.
The white-ring garden eel, also known as the Cape garden eel in Mexico, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Garry I. McTaggart-Cowan and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1974, originally under the genus Taenioconger. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 m (66 ft), and inhabits sand sediments near reefs, where it forms burrows in nonmigratory colonies. Males can reach a maximum total length of 80 cm.
The pale green eel, also known as the pale garden eel or the Cortez garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Jacques Pellegrin in 1923, originally under the genus Taenioconger. It is a nonmigratory marine, deepwater-dwelling eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California and Mexico. It dwells at a depth of 230 to 275 m and inhabits sandy sediments near reefs in large colonies. Males can reach a maximum total length of 63 cm.
The enigma garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It dwells at a depth range of 3 to 25 m, and inhabits regions with dark, silty sand and seagrass of the genus Holiphila. Males can reach a maximum total length of 43.7 cm, while females can reach 41.6 cm.
The Galapagos garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt and Friedmann Köster in 1983, originally under the genus Taenioconger. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Colombia, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Panama. It dwells at a depth of 10 to 30 m, and lives in large, nonmigratory colonies in clean, sandy substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 cm.
The brown garden eel, also known simply as the garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1870. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, including Madeira, the Canary Islands, Senegal, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, the Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Brazil. It dwells at a depth of 10–60 m, most commonly between 20 and 60 m, and leads a nonmigratory, benthic lifestyle, inhabiting reefs in colonies. They likely spawn during the warm season. The larval state of development lasts for about 6–8 months. Adult males can reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres.
The yellow garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by David G. Smith in 1989. It is a nonmigratory marine, tropical eel which is known from the Gulf of Mexico, in the western central Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 33 m (108 ft).
Mercy's garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Gerald R. Allen and Mark van Nydeck Erdmann in 2009. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and possibly New Britain. It is known to dwell at a depth of 4 to 10 m, and inhabit sediments of silt-like sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 67.8 cm (26.7 in).
The black garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John Ernest Randall in 1981. It is a tropical, nonmigratory marine eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including Ambon, Indonesia, and Negros, Philippines. It dwells at a depth range of 1–35 m. It leads a benthic lifestyle, and inhabits sand or mud, living solitary or in colonies. Males can reach a maximum total length of 53.7 cm.
The zebra garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1868. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Western Pacific, including the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Vanuatu. It inhabits shallow waters at a depth range of 1 to 10 m, and forms burrows in colonies of moderate size on sand sediments in bays, slopes and reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 34.7 cm.
Tricia's garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Flores, Indonesia, in the eastern Indian Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 49.6 cm (19.5 in).
Gavialiceps arabicus is an eel in the family Muraenesocidae. It was described by Umberto D'Ancona in 1928, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Indian Ocean, including the Gulf of Aden, the southeastern Arabian Sea, Socotra, Yemen and Maldives. It dwells at a depth range of 380 to 497 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 84 centimetres (2.76 ft).
Facciolella saurencheloides is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Umberto D'Ancona in 1928. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the northwestern and western Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea. It dwells at a depth range of 700–2000 metres.
Ophichthus echeloides is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Umberto D'Ancona in 1928. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea, in the western Indian Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
References
- ↑ Synonyms of Heteroconger congroides at www.fishbase.org.
- 1 2 Heteroconger congroides at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ D'Ancona, U., 1928 [ref. 15917] Murenoidi (Apodes) del Mar Rosso e del Golfo di Aden. Materiali raccolti dal Prof. Luigi Sanzo nella Campagna della R. N. "Ammiraglio Magnaghi" 1923-24. Memoria, Comitato Talassografico Italiano No. 146: 1-146, Pls. 1-5.
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