Kingdom Animalia Class Actinopterygii Family Congridae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Anguilliformes Genus Gnathophis | |
The Southern Atlantic conger (Gnathophis capensis, also known as the Southern conger) is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including from False Bay to Plettenberg Bay, South Africa and Tristan da Cunha Island. It is known to dwell at a depth of 100 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 37 centimetres.
The Southern conger is preyed upon by Chelidonichthys queketti, Helicolenus dactylopterus, and Sphyrna zygaena. Its own diet consists of benthic crustaceans.
References
Southern Atlantic conger Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA