Leptocephalus (genus)

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Leptocephalus
LeptocephalusConger.jpg
Leptocephalus conger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Varies
Family:
See text.

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, [1] 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 (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 will be broken down according to the species that they contain. If the species has a common name or English name, it will be given 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 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 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 maculatusDella Croce & Castle, 1966 (valid as Heteroconger hassi ) – spotted garden eel

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

Leptocephalus mauritianumPappenheim, 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 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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leptocephalus</span> Juvenile eel

A 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eel life history</span> Eel life cycle

Eels are any of several long, thin, bony fishes of the order Anguilliformes. They have a catadromous life cycle, that is: at different stages of development migrating between inland waterways and the deep ocean. Because fishermen never caught anything they recognized as young eels, the life cycle of the eel was long a mystery. Of particular interest has been the search for the spawning grounds for the various species of eels, and identifying the population impacts of different stages of the life cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saccopharyngiforms</span> Order of fishes

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 and bobtail eels. Some can live deep in the ocean, well into the aphotic zone, approximately 500 to 1,800 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.

<i>Conger</i> Genus of fishes

Conger is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length, in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during the day in parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and both European and American congers are sometimes caught by fishermen along the European and North American Atlantic coasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congridae</span> Family of fishes

The Congridae are the family of conger and garden eels. Congers are valuable and often large food fishes, while garden eels live in colonies, all protruding from the sea floor after the manner of plants in a garden. The family includes over 180 species in 32 genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elopomorpha</span> Superorder of fishes

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<i>Coloconger</i> Genus of short-tail eels

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eel</span> Order of fishes

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<i>Ariosoma</i> Genus of fishes

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<i>Ophichthus</i> Genus of fishes

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The Gilbert's garden eel, also known as the Gilbert's conger and the sharpnose conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1898, originally under the genus Congrellus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Colombia. It is a benthic and nocturnal species, and inhabits sand flats in reefs, bays and coves at a depth range of 1–100 metres. It burrows into sand during the day and emerges to forage during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres.

The slope conger, also known as the black-fin conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1891, originally under the genus Ophisoma. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the southeastern and eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 380–740 metres, and inhabits substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres.

The tropical conger, also known as the Scheele's conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Pehr Hugo Strömman in 1896, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Natal and Mozambique. It inhabits reefs in lagoons, and is known to dwell at a depth of 9 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

Bathycongrus trilineatus is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle in 1964, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 50 metres.

Gnathophis capensis, the Southern Atlantic conger or southern conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including from False Bay to Plettenberg Bay, South Africa and also on Tristan da Cunha Island. It is known to dwell at a depth of 100 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 37 cm.

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 (1,710 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.

Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus is an eel in the family Synaphobranchidae. It was described by Einar Hagbart Martin Lea in 1913, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known solely from larval specimens discovered in the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 100 to 150 metres.

Neocyematidae is a family of fishes in the order Saccopharyngiforms. This family, established from five described adult specimens of the species Neocyema erythrosoma, was originally thought to be a part of the family Cyematidae, until genomic sequencing in 2018 refuted this relationship.

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.
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