Congriscus megastomus

Congriscus megastomus is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[3] It was described by Albert Günther in 1877, originally under the genus Congromuraena.[4] It is a marine, temperate-water dwelling eel which is known from Japan and the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It inhabits reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 40 centimeters.[3] This species' remarkably large and distinct leptocephalus larvae were previously known under the name Thalassenchelys coheni. In 2016, scientists used genetic techniques to link the larvae to the adult C. megastomus.[5] These larvae reach a maximum size of 30 cm (12 in) and have a number of unusual characteristics, including two forward-facing front teeth that may be used for feeding on different prey than other eel larvae.[6]

Congriscus megastomus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Genus: Congriscus
Species:
C. megastomus
Binomial name
Congriscus megastomus
(Günther, 1877)
Synonyms[1]

Congromuraena megastoma Günther, 1877
Thalassenchelys coheni Castle & Raju, 1975 [2]

Congriscus megastomus is preyed on by Chlorophthalmus albatrossis.[7] Its own diet includes finfish such as Diaphus coeruleus, Diaphus sagamiensis, Hymenocephalus lethonemus, Synagrops japonicus, and species of Macrura, as well as euphausiid plankton crustaceans and polychaetes.[8]

References
  1. Synonyms of Congriscus megastomus at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Kurogi, H., Chow, S., Yanagimoto, T., Konishi, K., Nakamichi, R., Sakai, K., Ohkawa, T., Saruwatari, T., Takahashi, M., Ueno, Y. & Mochioka, N. (2015): Adult form of a giant anguilliform leptocephalus Thalassenchelys coheni Castle and Raju 1975 is Congriscus megastomus (Günther 1877). Ichthyological Research, 63 (2): 239-246.
  3. Congriscus megastomus Archived 2013-06-16 at Archive.today at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Günther, A., 1877 (1 Nov.) [ref. 2009] Preliminary notes on new fishes collected in Japan during the expedition of H. M. S. Challenger.. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 4) v. 20 (no. 119) (art. 56): 433-446.
  5. Kurogi, Hiroaki; Chow, Seinen; Yanagimoto, Takashi; Konishi, Kooichi; Nakamichi, Reiichiro; Sakai, Kyohei; Ohkawa, Toshiyuki; Saruwatari, Toshiro; Takahashi, Masanori (2015-10-16). "Adult form of a giant anguilliform leptocephalus Thalassenchelys coheni Castle and Raju 1975 is Congriscus megastomus (Günther 1877)". Ichthyological Research. 63 (2): 239–246. doi:10.1007/s10228-015-0492-5. ISSN 1341-8998. S2CID 13526573.
  6. Miller, Michael (2009-10-31). "Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer". Aqua-BioScience Monographs. 2 (4). doi:10.5047/absm.2009.00204.0001.
  7. Predators of Congriscus megastomus at www.fishbase.org.
  8. Food items reported for Congriscus megastomus at www.fishbase.org.


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