Myrocongridae
Encyclopedia
The Myrocongridae or Thin eels are a small family of eel
s consisting of a single genus, Myroconger. Very little is known about the group.
Until recently, only a single specimen from this family was known. This individual had been caught off St Helena in 1868. In the 1990s and 2000s, deep sea submersibles identified several more individuals, including four further species. The first known species, M. compressus, was bright red in colour, but not all other species share this trait.
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
s consisting of a single genus, Myroconger. Very little is known about the group.
Until recently, only a single specimen from this family was known. This individual had been caught off St Helena in 1868. In the 1990s and 2000s, deep sea submersibles identified several more individuals, including four further species. The first known species, M. compressus, was bright red in colour, but not all other species share this trait.
Species
- Myroconger compressus Günther, 1870 (Red eel)
- Myroconger gracilis Castle, 1991
- Myroconger nigrodentatus Castle & Béarez, 1995 (Orange eel)
- Myroconger prolixus Castle & Béarez, 1995
- Myroconger seychellensis Karmovskaya, 2006