Subfamily Congrogadinae

Pseudochromidae: Congrogadinae

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Introduction

Members of the Congrogadinae, eel-blennies, occur in the coastal tropical environments of the Indo-west Pacific. Currently, eight genera and 24 species are recognised (Gill et al. 2000; Gill & Zajonz 2003), with two genera and six species known from Australia. The subfamily was revised by Winterbottom (1986) and two new species were described by Winterbottom & Randall (1994). The group was previously treated as a distinct family, but changed to a subfamily by Godkin & Winterbottom (1985).

Eel-blennies are distinctive in having an elongate, eel-like body. They occur from coastal rubble environments to rough bottoms on the continental shelf at depths of around 140 m, and sometimes are associated with sponges. The maximum length attained is 40 cm.

General References

Gill, A.C., Mooi, R.D. & Hutchins, J.B. 2000. Description of a new subgenus and species of the fish genus Congrogadus from Western Australia (Perciformes: Pseudochromidae). Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 69-79

Gill, A.C. & Zajonz, U. 2003. Halidesmus socotraensis new species and Haliophis guttatus (Forsskål), new records of congrogadine fishes from the Socotra Archipelago (Perciformes: Pseudochromidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 116: 52-60

Godkin, C.M. & Winterbottom, R. 1985. Phylogeny of the family Congrogadidae (Pisces; Perciformes) and its placement as a subfamily of the Pseudochromidae. Bulletin of Marine Science 36(3): 633-671 figs 1-15

Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. 2006. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [1059]

Winterbottom, R. 1986. Revision and vicariance biogeography of the subfamily Congrogadinae (Pisces: Perciformes: Pseudochromidae). Indo-Pacific Fishes 9: 1-34 figs 1-37 pl. 1

Winterbottom, R. & Randall, J.E. 1994. Two new species of congrogadins (Teleostei; Pseudochromidae), with range extensions for four other species. Canadian Journal of Zoology 72: 750-756

Common Name References

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1984. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls. [270] (Eel-blennies)

Whitley, G.P. 1948. A list of the fishes of Western Australia. Western Australia Fish Department. Fisheries Bulletin 2: 1-35 map [28] (Machetes)

History of changes