Thinlip conger

The Thinlip conger (Gnathophis mystax, also known as the Blacktailed conger[2]) is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[3] It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena.[4] It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including southern Portugal, the Mediterranean, and Morocco. It dwells at a depth range of 75–800 metres, and inhabits mud and sand on the continental slope. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 35 centimetres.[3]

Thinlip conger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Anguilliformes
Family:
Congridae
Genus:
Gnathophis
Species:
G. mystax
Binomial name
Gnathophis mystax
(Delaroche, 1809)
Synonyms[1]
  • Muraena mystax Delaroche, 1809
  • Ariosoma mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
  • Bathycongrus mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
  • Conger mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
  • Congermuraena mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
  • Congromuraena mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (misspelling)

The Thinlip conger feeds on crustaceans including crabs such as Goneplax rhomboides, shrimp and prawns such as Alpheus glaber, Calocaris macandreae, Processa canaliculata, and mysids. It also feeds on polychaetes, bony fish and other invertebrates.[5] Spawning occurs between August and October.[6]

The Thinlip conger is sometimes harvested by fisheries.[3]

References
  1. Synonyms of Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Common names for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Delaroche, F. E., 1809 [ref. 17380] Suite du mémoire sur les espèces de poissons observées à Iviça. Observations sur quelques-uns des poissons indiqués dans le précédent tableau et descriptions des espèces nouvelles ou peu connues. Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris v. 13: 313-361, Pls. 20-25.
  5. Food items reported for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
  6. Spawning for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.


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