Cynoponticus coniceps, the red pike conger or conehead eel,[1] is an eel in the family Muraenesocidae (pike congers).[2] It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1882, originally under the genus Muraenesox.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, and Nicaragua. It dwells at a depth range of 10mto100mm (30feetto300feetm), and inhabits sediments of sand and mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 202cm (80inches); the maximum recorded weight is 11kg (24lb).[2]
The red pike conger's diet consists of finfish and invertebrates.[4] It is of commercial interest to fisheries, and is considered to have high quality flesh.[2] It is also captured as a by-catch by shrimp trawlers.
The IUCN redlist currently lists Cynoponticus coniceps as Data Deficient, due to a lack of information on how the species is affected by fishing activities.