Conger
| Conger Temporal range: 55–0Ma Early Eocene to Present[1] | |
|---|---|
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| Conger oceanicus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Congridae |
| Genus: | Conger Oken, 1817 |
| Species | |
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See text. | |
Conger is a genus of marine congrid eels. It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 3 m (10 ft) 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 coasts.
The life histories of most conger eels are poorly known. Based on collections of their small leptocephalus larvae, the American conger eel has been found to spawn in the southwestern Sargasso Sea, close to the spawning areas of the Atlantic freshwater eels.
One species of conger eel, Conger myriaster, is an important food fish in East Asia. It is often served on sushi.
"Conger" or "Conger eel" is sometimes included in the common names of species of the family Congridae, including members of this genus.
Species
- Conger cinereus Rüppell, 1830 (Longfin African conger)
- Conger conger (Linnaeus, 1758) (European conger)
- Conger erebennus (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901)
- Conger esculentus Poey, 1861 (Grey conger)
- Conger japonicus Bleeker, 1879 (Beach conger)
- Conger macrocephalus Kanazawa, 1958
- Conger myriaster (Brevoort, 1856) (Whitespotted conger)
- Conger oceanicus (Mitchill, 1818) (American conger)
- Conger oligoporus Kanazawa, 1958
- Conger orbignianus Valenciennes, 1842 (Argentine conger)
- Conger philippinus Kanazawa, 1958
- Conger triporiceps Kanazawa, 1958 (Manytooth conger)
- Conger verreauxi Kaup, 1856 (Southern conger)
- Conger wilsoni (Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801) (Cape conger)
Behavior
Congers are predators and can attack human beings. In July, 2013 an experienced diver was attacked by a conger eel in Killary Harbour, Ireland, at a depth of 25 meters. The eel bit a large chunk from his face. The diver reported that the creature was more than 6 feet in length and "about the width of a human thigh".[2]
References
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Conger in FishBase. June 2011 version.
- ↑ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
- ↑ Dowling, Edna (July 13, 2013). "Diver 'felt like a rag doll' in frenzied conger eel attack". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2013-07-13.