Related Research Articles
Leptocephalus is the flat and transparent larva of the eel, marine eels, and other members of the superorder Elopomorpha. This is one of the most diverse groups of teleosts, containing 801 species in 4 orders, 24 families, and 156 genera. This group is thought to have arisen in the Cretaceous period over 140 million years ago.
The eel is a long, thin bony fish of the order Anguilliformes. Because fishermen never caught anything they recognized as young eels, the life cycle of the eel was a mystery for a very long period of scientific history. Although more than 6500 publications mention eels, much of their life history remains an enigma.
The saccopharyngiformes are a derived lineage of unusual eels within the order Anguilliformes, and includes families Cyematidae, Monognathidae, Eurypharyngidae, Saccopharyngidae, and the proposed family Neocyematidae. Most of the fish in this group are deep-dwelling and rarely seen, typically known from only a handful of specimens. Species include recognizable fish such as pelican eels, bobtail eels, and gulper eels. Some can live deep in the ocean, well into the aphotic zone, approximately 500–1800 meters deep. Extensive research has not been conducted on them due to being indirectly observed, with some species known only from their larvae. All families except for the exceptionally rare individuals of proposed family Neoceymatidae are found in all major oceans.
The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery-colored species, such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the Elopiformes and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth-bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic uniting this group of fishes is they all have leptocephalus larvae, which are unique to the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.
Snipe eels are a family, Nemichthyidae, of eels that consists of nine species in three genera. They are pelagic fishes, found in every ocean, mostly at depths of 300–600 m but sometimes as deep as 4000 m. Depending on the species, adults may reach 1–2 m (39–79 in) in length, yet they weigh only 80-400 g. They are distinguished by their very slender jaws that separate toward the tips as the upper jaw curves upward. The jaws appear similar to the beak of the bird called the snipe. Snipe eels are oviparous, and the juveniles, called Leptocephali, do not resemble the adults but have oval, leaf-shaped and transparent bodies. Different species of snipe eel have different shapes, sizes and colors. The similarly named bobtail snipe eel is actually in a different family and represented by two species, the black Cyema atrum and the bright red Neocyema erythrosoma.
Neocyema erythrosoma is a species of pelagic fish, a deep-water bobtail snipe eel in the family Cyematidae. It is the only member of its genus, Neocyema. It was first described by Peter Castle in 1978 after two specimens were caught at great depths in the south Atlantic Ocean in 1971. Further specimens have since been caught in the North Atlantic.
Anarchias is a genus of moray eels in the family Muraenidae.
The blackfin sorcerer is a species of saltwater eel in the family Nettastomatidae of the order Anguilliformes. It is found only in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The Colocongridae, the worm eels or short-tail eels are a family of eels, containing a single genus, Coloconger.
An eel is a ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage, and most are predators.
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.
Rhynchoconger is a genus of eels in the family Congridae.
The false moray, common false moray, grey reef eel, reef eel, plain false moray, or double-toothed xenocongrid eel, Kaupichthys hyoproroides, is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Pehr Hugo Strömman in 1896, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from coral reefs and rocky shores in the western Atlantic Ocean, including southeastern Florida, USA; the Bahamas, Yucatan, Mexico; the Antilles, and Venezuela. It is a benthic, solitary eel that typically dwells at depths to 95 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 cm.
Coloconger eximia is an eel in the family Colocongridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle in 1967, originally under the genus Ascomana. It is a marine, deep-water dwelling eel which is known from Cape Peninsula, South Africa, in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Congriscus megastomus is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1877, originally under the genus Congromuraena. It is a marine, temperate-water dwelling eel which is known from Japan and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It inhabits reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 40 centimeters. This species' remarkably large and distinct leptocephalus larvae were previously known under the name Thalassenchelys coheni. In 2016, scientists used genetic techniques to link the larvae to the adult C. megastomus. These larvae reach a maximum size of 30 cm (12 in) and have a number of unusual characteristics, including two forward-facing front teeth that may be used for feeding on different prey than other eel larvae.
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 congroides 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, deepwater-dwelling eel which is known from the Kamaran Islands in Yemen, in the Red Sea, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known only from larvae, which are known from a depth of 522 m (1,713 ft).
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).
References
- ↑ Miller, Michael J. “Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer.” Aqua-BioScience Monographs 2 (2009): 1-94. Web. 2 Nov. 2012.
- ↑ Species of Leptocephalus Genus Fishbase.org