Gnathophis mystax, the thinlip conger or blacktailed conger,[3] is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[4] It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena.[5] It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including southern Portugal, the Mediterranean, and Morocco. It dwells at a depth range of 75–800 metres, and inhabits mud and sand on the continental slope. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres (2 ft 0 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 35 centimetres (1 ft 2 in).[4]
Gnathophis mystax | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Anguilliformes |
Family: | Congridae |
Genus: | Gnathophis |
Species: | G. mystax
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Binomial name | |
Gnathophis mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
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Synonyms[2] | |
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The thinlip conger feeds on crustaceans including crabs such as Goneplax rhomboides, shrimp and prawns such as Alpheus glaber, Calocaris macandreae, Processa canaliculata, and mysids. It also feeds on polychaetes, bony fish and other invertebrates.[6] Spawning occurs between August and October.[7]
References
edit- ^ Smith, D.G.; Tighe, K.; McCosker, J. (2019). "Gnathophis mystax". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T194970A102418175. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T194970A102418175.en. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Synonyms of Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b c Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Delaroche, F. E., 1809 [ref. 17380] Suite du mémoire sur les espèces de poissons observées à Iviça. Observations sur quelques-uns des poissons indiqués dans le précédent tableau et descriptions des espèces nouvelles ou peu connues. Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris v. 13: 313-361, Pls. 20-25.
- ^ Food items reported for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Spawning for Gnathophis mystax at www.fishbase.org.