Hawaiian garden eel explained

The Hawaiian garden eel^[1] (Gorgasia hawaiiensis) is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).^[2] It was described by John Ernest Randall and James Robert Chess in 1980.^[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Hawaiian archipelago (from which its species epithet is derived), in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is non-migratory, and is thought to be restricted to the region. It dwells at a depth range of 11mto53mm (36feetto174feetm), and leads a benthic life, forming burrows in sand. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 59.8cm (23.5inches).^[2]

This eel appears during sunrise and returns to its burrow around sunset, making it a diurnal animal. Although burrows of this eel are more abundant in shallow water, larger burrows belonging to this eel can be found in deeper water.^[4]

The Hawaiian garden eel's diet consists of zoobenthos.^[5]

Notes and References

1. http://www.fishbase.org/comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=25322&GenusName=Gorgasia&SpeciesName=hawaiiensis&StockCode=20059 Common names of Gorgasia hawaiiensis
2. http://fishbase.mnhn.fr/summary/Gorgasia-hawaiiensis.html Gorgasia hawaiiensis
3. Randall, J. E. and J. R. Chess, 1980 [ref. 6924] A new species of garden eel (Congridae: Heterocongrinae) of the genus Gorgasia from Hawaii. Pacific Science v. 33 (no. 1): 17-23.
4. Emily Donham, Michael S. Foster, Marc R. Rice, Gregor M. Cailliet, Mary M. Yoklavich, and Scott L. Hamilton. April 2017. Natural History Observations of Hawaiian Garden Eels, Gorgasia hawaiiensis (Congridae: Heterocongrinae), from the Island of Hawai'i. University of Hawai'i Press. 71. Project MUSE.
5. http://www.fishbase.org/TrophicEco/FoodItemsList.php?vstockcode=20059&genus=Gorgasia&species=hawaiiensis Food items reported for Gorgasia hawaiiensis