Congridae Explained

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 (thus the name).^[1] The family includes over 180 species in 32 genera.

The European conger, Conger conger, is the largest of the family and of the Anguilliformes order that includes it; it has been recorded at up to 3m (10feet) in length and weighing 350lb.^[2]

Congrids are found in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas around the world. Clear distinguishing features among congrids are few; they all lack scales, and most possess pectoral fins. They feed on crustaceans and small fish.

The earliest known fossils of this group are otoliths from the Campanian of the United States.^[3] A number of articulated specimens are known from the Paleogene of Europe.^[4]

Genera

Family Congridae

• Alaconger (2 species; otolith-based taxon; Late Cretaceous of the United States and Germany)
• Bolcyrus (1 species, fossil; Eocene of Italy)
• Congrophichthus (1 species; otolith-based taxon; Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene of the United States)
• Voltaconger (1 species, fossil; Eocene of Italy)
• Subfamily Bathymyrinae
  • Ariosoma (27 species)
  • Bathymyrus (three species)
  • Chiloconger (two species)
  • Kenyaconger (one species)
  • Parabathymyrus (five species)
  • Paraconger (seven species)
  • Paracongroides (1 species, fossil; Eocene of Italy)
  • Pavelichthys (1 species, fossil; Oligocene of Russia)
• Subfamily Congrinae
  • Acromycter (five species)
  • Bassanago (four species)
  • Bathycongrus (22 species)
  • Bathyuroconger (two species)
  • Blachea (two species)
  • Castleichthys (one species)
  • Conger (14 species)
  • Congrhynchus (one species)
  • Congriscus (three species)
  • Congrosoma (one species)
  • Diploconger (one species)
  • Gnathophis (27 species)
  • Japonoconger (three species)
  • Lumiconger (one species)
  • Macrocephenchelys (two species)
  • Poeciloconger (one species)
  • Promyllantor (three species)
  • Pseudophichthys (one species)
  • Rhynchoconger (seven species)
  • Scalanago (one species)
  • Smithconger (one species, fossil; Eocene of Denmark)
  • Uroconger (four species)
  • Xenomystax (five species)
• Subfamily Heterocongrinae (garden eels)
  • Gorgasia (14 species)
  • Heteroconger (21 species)

See also

• List of fish families

Notes and References

1. Book: Paxton, J.R. . Eschmeyer, W.N. . McCosker, John F.. 1998. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Academic Press. San Diego. 88–89. 0-12-547665-5.
2. http://www.britishcongerclub.org.uk/conger/conger.htm British Conger Club
3. Schwarzhans . Werner . Stringer . Gary L. . 2020-05-06 . Fish Otoliths from the Late Maastrichtian Kemp Clay (Texas, Usa) and the Early Danian Clayton Formation (Arkansas, Usa) and an Assessment of Extinction and Survival of Teleost Lineages Across the K-Pg Boundary Based on Otoliths . Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia . en . 126 . 2 . 10.13130/2039-4942/13425 . 2039-4942.
4. Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy . Carnevale . Giorgio . Schwarzhans . Werner . Natural History Museum of Denmark . Schrøder . Ane Elise . Natural History Museum of Denmark . Lindow . Bent Erik Kramer . Natural History Museum of Denmark . 2022-04-22 . An Eocene conger eel (Teleostei, Anguilliformes) from the Lillebælt Clay Formation, Denmark . Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark . 70 . 53–67 . 10.37570/bgsd-2022-70-05-rev. free .