Family COLOCONGRIDAE
Colocongrids, Short-tail Conger Eels
Compiler and date details
John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates & Douglass F. Hoese
Introduction
The Colocongridae are a small family with one genus and five species (Nelson 2006). Of the two Indo-Pacific species only Coloconger scholesi has been recorded from Australian waters.
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 (1994) gave it separate family status.
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. 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
Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 600 pp.
Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 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 1397-2068 pp.
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 1397-2068 pp. [1670] (FAO) (Colocongrids)