Conger

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This article is about the genus of eel. For other uses, see Conger (disambiguation). For the Cuban music genre and ensemble, see Conga (music).

Conger
Temporal range: 55–0 Ma
Early Eocene to Present[1]
Conger oceanicus.jpg
Conger oceanicus
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Subfamily: Congrinae
Genus: Conger
Oken, 1817
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.

Species[]

Formerly Included Species[]

Fishing[]

Fishing for congers is recorded in the 12th-century; the Norman taxation Pipe Roll recorded two éperquerie on Guernsey and one on Sark which were designated places where conger were dried.[4]

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 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".[5]

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. ^ Lempriére, Raoul (1974). History of the Channel Islands. Robert Hale Ltd. p. 34. ISBN 978-0709142522.
  5. ^ Dowling, Edna (13 July 2013). "Diver 'felt like a rag doll' in frenzied conger eel attack". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2013-07-13.

External links[]


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