Animal Species:Eastern Conger, Conger wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
The Eastern Conger is blue-grey to brown-black above and pale below. It occurs in Australian temperate marine waters.
Eastern Conger, Conger wilsoni
Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl
Alternative Name/s
Common Conger-eel, Conger Eel, Short-finned Conger Eel, Wilson's Conger Eel
Identification
The Eastern Conger is blue-grey to brown-black above and pale below.
Size range
It grows to 1.6 m in length.
Similar Species
The species closely resembles the Southern Conger. The position of the dorsal fin origin can be used to distinguish between these species. In the Eastern Conger the dorsal fin starts slightly behind the pectoral fin tip while in the Southern Conger the dorsal fin begins above the tip of the pectoral fin. Other differences include the number of vertebrae, lateral line pores and dorsal fin ray counts.
Distribution
The species occurs on the eastern Australian coast from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales, and on the south coast from eastern South Australia to south-western Western Australia.
Distribution by collection data
Ozcam map of Eastern Conger specimens in the Australian Museums.
Classification
- Species:
- wilsoni
- Genus:
- Conger
- Family:
- Congridae
- Order:
- Anguilliformes
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
Mark McGrouther
, Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated:
Tags fishes, ichthyology, Eastern Conger, Conger wilsoni, Congridae, eel, blue-grey, brown-black, pale underside, temperate water, marine, adult, > 1m, Common Conger-eel, Conger Eel, Short-finned Conger Eel, Wilson's Conger Eel,
