The brown garden eel (Heteroconger longissimus), also known simply as the garden eel,[3] is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[4] It was described by Albert Günther in 1870.[5] It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, including Madeira, the Canary Islands, Senegal, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, the Caribbean, Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Brazil. It dwells at a depth of 10–60 m, most commonly between 20 and 60 m, and leads a nonmigratory, benthic lifestyle, inhabiting reefs in colonies. They likely spawn during the warm season. The larval state of development lasts for about 6–8 months. Adult males can reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres (20 in; 1.67 ft).[4]

Brown garden eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Genus: Heteroconger
Species:
H. longissimus
Binomial name
Heteroconger longissimus
Günther, 1870
Synonyms[2]
  • Taenioconger longissimus (Günther, 1870)
  • Nystactes halis Böhlke, 1957
  • Heteroconger halis (Böhlke, 1957)
  • Nystactichthys halis (Böhlke, 1957)
  • Taenioconger halis (Böhlke, 1957)
  • Nystatichthys halis (Böhlke, 1957) (misspelling)

The brown garden eel's diet consists primarily of detritus and plankton.[6]

References

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  1. ^ Smith, D.G. (2015). "Heteroconger longissimus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T199078A2556385. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T199078A2556385.en. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. ^ Synonyms of Heteroconger longissimus Archived 2013-07-02 at archive.today at www.fishbase.org.
  3. ^ Common names for Heteroconger longissimus Archived 2013-07-01 at archive.today at www.fishbase.org.
  4. ^ a b Heteroconger longissimus at www.fishbase.org.
  5. ^ Günther, A., 1870 (25 June) [ref. 1995] Catalogue of the fishes in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Physostomi, containing the families Gymnotidae, Symbranchidae, Muraenidae, Pegasidae, and of the Lophobranchii, Plectognathi, Dipnoi, ...[thru] ... Leptocardii, in the British Museum. v. 8: i-xxv + 1-549.
  6. ^ Food items reported for Heteroconger longissimus at www.fishbase.org.
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