Heteroconger cobra, sometimes known as the cobra garden eel, is a species of garden eel of the family Congridae, found in the western Central Pacific from Honiara, the Solomon Islands to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
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 spotted garden eel is a species of heteroconger belonging to the family Congridae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific.
The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of the 36 known species of garden eels live in the Indo-Pacific, but can be found in warm ocean water worldwide. These small eels live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from the behavior 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 in color and size depending on the species. 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 and number up to several thousand individuals.
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 chapmani is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean. The holotype specimen measured 69 cm. The species is now considered unidentifiable due to the lack of detail in the author's description, and because the only known specimen was destroyed during World War II.
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 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 endemic to waters off the coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is known from the both sides of Florida, from the Gulf of Mexico to the western central Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 33 m (108 ft).
Heteroconger mercyae, or 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).
Heteroconger obscurus, the obscure garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Wolfgang Klausewitz and Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1959, originally under the genus Xarifania. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Indian Ocean, including the Nicobar Islands in India, and Andaman Island. It is known to dwell at a maximum depth of 15 m (49 ft), and inhabits silty sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 33.6 cm.
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 and eastern Indian Ocean, including Ambon (Indonesia), Negros (Philippines), and the Andaman Islands (India). 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 (21.1 in).
The zebra garden eel, also known as the banded garden eel, is a species of eel in the conger/garden eels 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, 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.
Heteroconger tomberua is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1995. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Fiji and possibly New Caledonia, the Philippines, the Nicobar Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka. It is known to dwell at a depth of 36 m (118 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 42.8 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.
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 700–2,000 metres (2,300–6,560 ft).
Saurenchelys lateromaculata is a species of eel in the family Nettastomatidae. 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 Indo-Western Pacific, including the South China Sea and possibly also the Red Sea.
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).
