Silver eel explained

The silver eel (Ariosoma mellissii), also known as the Melliss's conger,^[1] is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).^[2] It was described by Albert Günther in 1870.^[3] It is a rare tropical, marine eel which is known solely from St. Helena, in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a maximum depth of 67 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 42.8 centimetres.^[2]

Named in honor of John Charles Melliss (1835-1911), amateur naturalist and government surveyor on St. Helena (island in the South Atlantic), who presented the type specimen to the British Museum (Natural History).^[4]

Notes and References

1. http://www.fishbase.org/comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=9060&GenusName=Ariosoma&SpeciesName=mellissii&StockCode=9381 Common names for Ariosoma mellissii
2. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Ariosoma-mellissii.html Ariosoma mellissii
3. Günther, A., 1870 (25 June) [ref. 1995] Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing the families Gymnotidae, Symbranchidae, Muraenidae, Pegasidae, and of the Lophobranchii, Plectognathi, Dipnoi, ...[thru] ... Leptocardii, in the British Museum. v. 8: i-xxv + 1-549.
4. Web site: Order ANGUILLIFORMES: Families MURAENESOCIDAE, NETTASTOMATIDAE, CONGRIDAE, MORINGUIDAE, CYEMATIDAE, NEOCYEMATIDAE, MONOGNATHIDAE, SACCOPHARYNGIDAE, EURYPHARYNGIDAE, NEMICHTHYIDAE, SERRIVOMERIDAE and ANGUILLIDAE . 1 March 2021 . Christopher Scharpf . Kenneth J. Lazara . amp . The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database . Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara . 22 September 2018.