Conger
Temporal range: 55–0 Ma
Early Eocene to Present[1]
Conger oceanicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Subfamily: Congrinae
Genus: Conger
Oken, 1817
Type species
Muraena conger
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text.

Conger (/ˈkɒŋɡər/ KONG-gər) is a genus of marine congrid eels.[2] It includes some of the largest types of eels, ranging up to 2 m (6 ft) or more in length,[3] in the case of the European conger. Large congers have often been observed by divers during the day in parts of the Mediterranean Sea, and both European and American congers are sometimes caught by fishermen along the European and North American Atlantic coasts.

The life histories of most conger eels are poorly known. Based on collections of their small leptocephalus larvae, the American conger eel has been found to spawn in the southwestern Sargasso Sea, close to the spawning areas of the Atlantic freshwater eels.

"Conger" or "conger eel" is sometimes included in the common names of species of the family Congridae, including members of this genus.

Description

Congers have wide mouths with sturdy teeth, usually a variant of gray or black in coloration. They have no scales.[4] Their body weight can reach over 57 kilograms (125 lbs).[5]

Species

Formerly Included Species

Fishing

Fishing for congers was first recorded in the 12th century. The Norman taxation Pipe Roll recorded two éperquerie on Guernsey and one on Sark. These were designated places where congers were dried.[6]

One species of the conger eel, Conger myriaster, is an important food fish in East Asia. It is often served as sushi.

Behaviour

Congers are predators and can attack humans. In July 2013, a diver was attacked by a European conger eel in Killary Harbour, Ireland, at a depth of 25 metres (82 ft). The eel bit a large chunk from his face. The diver reported the creature was more than 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) in length and "about the width of a human thigh".[7]

References

  1. ^ skjeolks, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  2. ^ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2011). Species of Conger in FishBase. June 2011 version.
  3. ^ "Giant conger eel caught by Plymouth fishermen". 14 May 2015.
  4. ^ "conger eel | fish | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  5. ^ "What is a Conger Eel? (with pictures)". All Things Nature. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  6. ^ Lempriére, Raoul (1974). History of the Channel Islands. Robert Hale Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 978-0709142522.
  7. ^ Dowling, Edna (13 July 2013). "Diver 'felt like a rag doll' in frenzied conger eel attack". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2013-07-13.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Conger.


Taxon identifiers
Authority control databases: National
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