Family COLOCONGRIDAE

Colocongridae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The Colocongridae are a small family with one genus and eight species (Eschemeyer et al. 2018). One species has been recorded from Australian waters: Coloconger scholesi.

Colocongrids are benthic in Atlantic and Indo-west Pacific waters from 300 to 1000 m (Smith 1999). They are robust eels with the vent in the posterior half of the body and the laterosensory organs on small papillae. Maximum size is at least 55 cm.

The colocongrids were reviewed by Chan (1967) and Blache & Bauchot (1976). Coloconger was placed in the family Congridae, but Blache & Bauchot (1976), Castle (1984) and Nelson (2006) gave it separate family status. López et al. (2007) concluded that the genus Thalassenchelys belonged in the Colocongridae, but that name now appears to be a synonym of the congrid Congriscus. Other molecular studies have placed the whole group in the Dereichthyidae (Johnson et al. 2012; Nelson et al 2016). Until fully resolved, we retain the previous classification.

General References

Blache, J. & Bauchot, M.-L. 1976. Contribution à la connaissance des poissons Anguilliformes de la côte occidentale d'Afrique. 16e note: les familles des Congridae et Colocongridae. Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Afrique Noire A 38: 369-444 figs 1-30

Castle, P.H.J. 1984. Notacanthiformes and Anguilliformes: development. pp. 62-93 figs 29-43 in Moser, H.G. et al. (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Special Publication 1: 1-760

Chan, W.L. 1967. A new species of congrid eel from the South China Sea. Journal of Natural History 1: 97-112 figs 1-14

Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds) 31 May 2018. Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. California Academy of Sciences. Electronic version accessed 01 Jun 2018. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp

Johnson, D.G., Ida, H., Sakaue, J., Sado, T., Asahida, T. & Miya, M. 2011. A 'living fossil' eel (Anguilliformes: Protoanguillidae, fam. nov.) from an undersea cave in Palau. Proceedings of the Royal Society B [Date published published online 17 August 2011]

López, J.A., Westneat, M.W. & Hanel, R. 2007. The phylogenetic affinities of the mysterious anguilliform genera Coloconger and Thalassenchelys as supported by mtDNA sequences. Copeia 2007(4): 959-966

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C. & Wilson, M.V.H. 2016. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons 5, 752 pp.

Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.

Common Name References

Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1670] (FAO) (Colocongrids)

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