Leptocephalus (genus)

Leptocephalus
Leptocephalus conger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	See text

Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali. Leptocephali larvae differ so much in appearance from their adults. When first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fish, ^[1] not an eel species. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for an unidentified leptocephali. After it was known that these were eel larvae, it was identified to be part of a wastebasket taxon, but not anymore in the present classification system. 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 (L. bellottii and L. ophichthoides) in two families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.

Species

There are 16 families of Leptocephalus organisms that include over 70 species. ^[2] They are broken down according to the species that they contain. If the species has a common name or English name, it is written after a dash. A common name can belong to many species.

Family Anguillidae

Leptocephalus brevirostrisKaup, 1856 – European eel

Leptocephalus grassiiEigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – American eel

Family Chlopsidae

Leptocephalus hyoproroidesStrömman, 1896 (valid as Kaupichthys hyoproroides )

Family Congridae

Leptocephalus affinisFacciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus candidissimusCosta, 1832 – European conger

Leptocephalus capensisKaup, 1856 (valid as Gnathophis capensis ) – Southern Atlantic conger

Leptocephalus conger(Linnaeus, 1758) – European conger

Leptocephalus congroidesD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Heteroconger congroides )

Leptocephalus cotroneiiD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gorgasia cotroneii )

Leptocephalus dentexCollett, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum )

Leptocephalus eckmaniStrömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus ectenurusJordan & Richardson, 1909 (valid as Rhynchoconger ectenurus )

Leptocephalus erebennusJordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Conger erebennus )

Leptocephalus flavirostrisSnyder, 1908 (valid as Ariosoma anago )

Leptocephalus gussoniCocco, 1829 – European conger

Leptocephalus inaequalisFacciolà, 1883 – European conger

Leptocephalus inferomaculatusBlache, 1977 (valid as Gorgasia inferomaculata )

Leptocephalus inornatusFacciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus lineatusBonnaterre, 1788 – European conger

Leptocephalus macrenteronD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum )

Leptocephalus maculatusDella Croce & Castle, 1966 (valid as Heteroconger hassi ) – spotted garden eel

Leptocephalus marginatusKaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus mauritianusPappenheim, 1914 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum ) – blunt tooth conger

Leptocephalus microphthalmusBeebe & Tee-Van, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus morrisiiGmelin, 1789 – European conger

Leptocephalus nystromiJordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Gnathophis nystromi )

Leptocephalus orbignyanus(Valenciennes, 1837) (valid as Conger orbignianus ) – Argentine conger

Leptocephalus pellucidus(Couch, 1832) – European conger

Leptocephalus retrotinctusJordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Bathycongrus retrotinctus ) – blackedge conger

Leptocephalus rexEigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus sanzoiD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma sanzoi )

Leptocephalus scheeleiStrömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma scheelei ) – tropical conger

Leptocephalus spallanzaniRisso, 1810 – European conger

Leptocephalus splendens(Lea, 1913) (valid as Pseudophichthys splendens ) – purple-mouthed conger

Leptocephalus stenopsKaup, 1856 – European conger

Leptocephalus taeniaKaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum ) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus trilineatusCastle, 1964 (valid as Bathycongrus trilineatus )

Leptocephalus vitreusKölliker, 1853 – European conger

Leptocephalus wilsoni(Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (valid as Conger wilsoni ) – cape conger

Family Cyprinidae

Leptocephalus mongolicusBasilewsky, 1855 – Mongolian redfin

Family Derichthyidae

Leptocephalus ingolfianusSchmidt, 1912 – duckbill oceanic eel

Leptocephalus anguilloidesSchmidt, 1916 – narrownecked oceanic eel

Family Eurypharyngidae

Leptocephalus pseudolatissimusBertin, 1936 (valid as Eurypharynx pelecanoides Bertin, 1936) – pelican eel

Family Moringuidae

Leptocephalus diptychusEigenmann & Kennedy, 1901 (valid as Moringua edwardsi ) – spaghetti eel

Leptocephalus tuberculatusCastle, 1965 – swollengut worm eel

Family Muraenesocidae

Leptocephalus arabicusD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gavialiceps arabicus )

Family Muraenidae

Leptocephalus euryurusLea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias euryurus )

Leptocephalus forsstromiStrömman, 1896 – purplemouth moray eel

Leptocephalus similisLea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias similis ) – pygmy moray

Family Nemichthyidae

Leptocephalus acuticeps – southern snipe eel

Leptocephalus andreaeSchmidt, 1912 – slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus canaricusLea, 1913 – slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus curvirostrisStrömman, 1896 – boxer snipe eel

Leptocephalus oxycephalusPappenheim, 1914 – avocet snipe eel

Leptocephalus polymerusLea, 1913 – boxer snipe eel

Family Neocyematidae

Leptocephalus holtiSchmidt, 1909 - (valid as Neocyema erythrosoma )

Family Nettastomatidae

Leptocephalus bellottiiD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Nettenchelys bellottii )

Leptocephalus lateromaculatusD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Saurenchelys lateromaculata )

Leptocephalus longirostrisKaup, 1856 – blackfin sorcerer

Leptocephalus oxyrhynchusBellotti, 1883 – Facciola's sorcerer

Leptocephalus saurencheloidesD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Facciolella saurencheloides )

Leptocephalus stylurusLea, 1913 – pillar wire eel

Leptocephalus urosemaLea, 1913 – blackfin sorcerer

Family Notacanthidae

Leptocephalus giganteusCastle, 1959 – giant leptocephalus

Family Ophichthidae

Leptocephalus caudomaculatusEigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – spotted spoon-nose eel

Leptocephalus crenatusStrömman, 1896 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus echeloidesD'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ophichthus echeloides )

Leptocephalus gilbertiEigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – sooty eel

Leptocephalus hexastigmaRegan, 1916 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus humilisStrömman, 1896 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus mollisFowler, 1944 – speckled worm eel

Leptocephalus mucronatusEigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – margined snake eel

Leptocephalus ophichthoides D'Ancona, 1928

Leptocephalus undulatus Strömman, 1896 (valid as Myrichthys breviceps ) – sharptail snake-eel

Family Saccopharyngidae

Leptocephalus latissimusSchmidt, 1912 (valid as Saccopharynx ampullaceus )

Family Serrivomeridae

Leptocephalus lanceolatoidesSchmidt, 1916 – short-tooth sawpalate

Leptocephalus lanceolatusStrömman, 1896 – Bean's sawtooth eel

Family Synaphobranchidae

Leptocephalus dolichorhynchusLea, 1913 (valid as Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus )

Leptocephalus proboscideusLea, 1913 (valid as Dysommina proboscideus )

Leptocephalus telescopicusSchmidt, 1913 (valid as Dysomma brevirostre ) – pignosed arrowtooth eel

References

1. Miller, Michael J. (2009). "Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer". Aqua-BioScience Monographs 2: 1–94.
2. "Species of Leptocephalus genus". Fishbase.org.