 There are around 194 species in this family of scaleless eels. They are found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and West Pacific oceans. Unlike most eels, the species in this family don't migrate long distances to mate and spawn.
Conger eels have large heads, wide mouths, and strong teeth. Most species are gray. They are bottom-dwellers and can be found at depths of up to 2,900 feet. The largest conger eel, the European conger, can grow to be nine feet long. Most conger eels feed at night on crustaceans and small fish. Conger eels are often used as a food fish.
Garden eels live in colonies. Most speces are found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans, but there are some species found in the Caribbean and east Pacific Ocean. Garden eels are bottom dwellers and get their name from the fact that when they rise up from their individual burrows on the sandy ocean floor looking for plankton, they look like a gently waving garden of plants. Many species are colorfully patterned and most are no more than 24 inches in length.
 Congridae Photo Gallery
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in Wild  Extinct  Not Enough Data
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.
U.S. Status Key
 Threatened in US  Endangered in US  Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife. Click on U.S. status icon to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife species profile. |
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New Hampshire Status Key
 Threatened in NH  Endangered in NH  Breeds in NH (birds)
Status taken from NH Fish and Game
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Location Key
 Africa  Asia  Australia/Oceania  Europe  North America  South America  NH  Click for More Info  Click for Image
 Atlantic Ocean  Indian Ocean  Mediterranean/Black Sea  Pacific Ocean
Additional Information Resource Key
 Profile  Photos  Video  Audio
Acromycter perturbator
Acromycter perturbator is found in the western Atlantic Ocean from southern New England to the Bahamas and Jamaica.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Longtrunk Conger - Ariosoma anale
The longtrunk conger is found in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and along the coasts of northern South America. It has also been recorded off the coast
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Bandtooth Conger - Ariosoma balearicum
The bandtooth conger is found from North Carolina south to Brazil, all along the Gulf of Mexico, and along the western coast of Africa and all along the Mediterranean Sea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Gilbert's Garden Eel - Ariosoma gilberti
Gilbert's Garden Eel is found from Baja California south to Ecuador.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Slope Conger - Ariosoma prorigerum
The slope conger is found in the eastern Pacific from the Gulf of tehuantepec, Mexico to central Peru.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Ariosoma selenops
Ariosoma selenops is found from Nova Scotia south to the northeastern coast of Brazil as well as in the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
European Conger - Conger conger
The European conger is found in the waters of the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Shortsnout Conger - Chiloconger dentatus
The shortsnout conger is found along the Pacific coast from Mexico to Colombia.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Gray Conger - Conger esculentus
The gray conger is found in the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean south to northern Brazil.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
American Conger - Conger oceanicus
The American conger can be found along the coastlines from Cape Cod south to the Florida Keys and along the northern Gulf Coast. It has been found in its laval stage as far north as the Gulf of Maine.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
American Conger - Conger oceanicus
The American conger eats fish, shrimp and small mollusks.
Source: Fishes of the Gulf of Maine Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Manytooth Conger - Conger triporiceps
The manytooth conger is found in the Gulf Coast from Texas to the Florida Keys south through the Caribbean to Venezuela and Colombia and north along the coast of Central America to the southern tip of Mexico.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Longeye Conger - Gnathophis bracheatopos
The longeye conger is found from North Carolina south to both the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of Florida.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Hardtail Conger - Gnathophis cinctus
The hardtail conger is found from southern California to Peru.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Large-toothed Conger - Bathyuroconger vicinus
The large-toothed conger is found in warm coastal ocean waters around the world.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Large-toothed Conger - Bathyuroconger vicinus
The large-toothed conger has long pointy teeth on its upper and lower jaws.
Source: Australian Museum Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Peppered garden Eel -Gorgasia punctata
The peppered garden eel is found from Baja California to Panama.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Giraffe-spotted Garden Eel-Heteroconger camelopardalis
The giraffe-spotted garden eel is found from Venezuela to Peru.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Cortez garden Eel -Heteroconger digueti
The Cortez garden eel is found along western coast of Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Galapagos Garden Eel -Heteroconger klausewitzi
The Galapagos garden eel is found from Costa Rica to Colombia.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Brown Garden Eel -Heteroconger longissimus
The brown garden eel is found in warm waters on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Yellow Garden Eel -Heteroconger luteolus
The yellow garden is found along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Speckled Garden Eel - Heteroconger pellegrini
The speckled garden is found from the southwestern tip of Baja California south through central Mexico to Panama.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Californian Conger - Paraconger californiensis
The Californian conger is found from Baja California to Peru.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Margintail Conger - Paraconger caudilimbatus
The margintail conger is found from North Carolina south through the Caribbean to Venezuela, along the Gulf Coast, along the coasts of Belize and Honduras, and in the eastern Atlantic from the Sao Tome and Principe Islands in the Gulf of Guinea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Shorttail Conger - Paraconger similis
The shorttail conger is found from the tip of Baja California to Panama.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Yellow Conger - Rhynchoconger flavus
The yellow conger is found in the western Atlantic from Florida south through the Caribbean, along the northern coast of South America from Colombia to Brazil, along the coast of Central America and along the Gulf Coast from Mexico to Florida.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Whiptail Conger - Rhynchoconger gracilior
The whiptail conger is found in the western Atlantic from Florida south to Cuba and along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas. It is found in waters off the coast of Puerto Rico, off the coast of South America from Venezuela to Brazil, and in Central America from Nicaragua north to southern Mexico.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Guppy's Conger Eel - Rhynchoconger guppyi
Guppy's conger eel is found along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana,Texas, and Mexico as well as along the coasts of Puerto Rico, and Cuba and in from Honduras south to Venezuela.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Bignose Conger - Rhynchoconger nitens
The bignose conger is found from the Gulf of California to southern Peru.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Threadtail Conger - Uroconger syringinus
The threadtail conger is found along the eastern coast of Florida, along the Gulf Coast, in the Caribbean, and along the coasts of Central America and northern South America. It is also found along the coast of Africa from Lagos to Namibia.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Blackedge Conger - Bathycongrus retrotinctus
The blackedge conger is found in the waters around the Philippines.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Southern Conger Eel - Conger verreauxi
The southern conger eel is found in the waters around Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Gnathophis codoniphorus
Gnathophis codoniphorus is found in the Azores.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Whitespotted Garden Eel - Gorgasia maculata
The whitespotted garden eel is found from the Maldives and the Comoros to the Solomon Islands and as far north as the Philippines.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
White-ring Garden Eel - Heteroconger canabus
The white-ring garden eel is found in southeastern tip of Baja California.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Taylor's Garden Eel - Heteroconger taylori
Taylor's garden eel is found the waters around Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Leptocephalus ophichthoides
Leptocephalus ophichthoides is found in the waters around Eritrea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Blackspot Conger - Paraconger macrops
The blackspot conger is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Madeira to the Azores.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Xenomystax trucidans
Xenomystax trucidans is found in India's Laccadive Islands and the Maldives.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Longfin African Conger - Conger cinereus
The longfin African conger is found along the coast of eastern Africa as well as in waters off the coast of Asia and Australia.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Barnes' Garden Eel - Gorgasia barnesi
Barnes' garden eel is found in Indonesia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Splendid Garden Eel - Gorgasia preclara
The splendid garden eel is found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Red Sea Garden Eel - Gorgasia sillneri
The Red Sea garden eel is found in waters off of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Sharpnose Garden Eel - Gorgasia taiwanensis
The sharpnose garden eel is found in waters off of Taiwan and southern Japan.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Spotted Garden Eel - Heteroconger hassi
The spotted garden eel is found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans.
Source: Fish Base Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School |
