Animal Species:Largetooth Conger, Bathyuroconger vicinus (Vaillant, 1888)

Identification

The Large-tooth Conger can be recognised by the long pointed teeth on both jaws and long dorsal and anal fin rays. It is dark brown to black.

Size range

The species grows to at least 1.2 m in length.

Distribution

It is recorded from the tropical Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific. In Australia the species has been caught off north-western Western Australia.

There are two additional specimens identified as B.vicinus in the Australian Museum Fish Collection. They were collected well out of the known range of the species.  These 60 cm and 65 cm long fish were trawled in February 1979 at a depth of approximately 900 m, north-east of Raine Island, far northern Queensland.

Distribution by collection data

Ozcam map of Largetooth Conger specimens in the Australian Museums.

What does this mean?

Habitat

It is known to occur at depths from 229 m to 1318 m.

Feeding and Diet

The species preys on other fishes.

Classification

Species:

vicinus

Genus:

Bathyuroconger

Family:

Congridae

Order:

Anguilliformes

Class:

Actinopterygii

Subphylum:

Vertebrata

Phylum:

Chordata

Kingdom:

Animalia

What does this mean?

References

1. Smith, D.G. 1989. Congridae in Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Part 9 Volume 1: Orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes. Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University. Pp. 655.
2. Smith, D.G., 1990. Congridae. in Quero, J.C., Hureau, J.C., Karrer, C., Post A. & L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1: 158-159.

Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated: 21 July 2012

Tags Fishes, Ichthyology, Largetooth Conger, Bathyuroconger vicinus, Congridae, eel, long pointed teeth, dark brown, black, > 1m, deepsea, marine,