Genus: Uroconger, Conger Eels, Congers, Threadtail Conger Eel

UROCONGER

CONGER EELS, CONGERS

Head and body <40% of TL; head pointed; snout long, overhanging, front top teeth exposed under it; eye large, well back on head; front nostril a tube pointing down and forwards, rear nostril an oval hole immediately before mid-eye; mouth ~horizontal, bottom lip with a flange, top lip without a flange; teeth moderately large, pointed, in 2 transverse rows at front top of mouth; jaws with 2 rows of teeth for most of length, teeth do not form a cutting edge; roof of mouth with a single row of teeth that extend back as far as jaw teeth; top of gill opening below top of pectoral fin base; pectorals well developed; dorsal fin origin slightly before to slightly after base of pectoral fin; dorsal and anal fins with segmented rays, continuous with the tail fin; tail tip soft and flexible, with small fin; a complete lateral line, 1 or more front lateral line pores elevated; last 3 pores on top lip are slits.

An Atlantic, Red Sea and Indo-W Pacific genus with 3 species; 1 trans-Atlantic species in our area.