Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Congridae (Conger and garden eels) > Heterocongrinae
Etymology: Heteroconger: Greek, heteros = other + Latin, conger = conger (Ref. 45335); fugax: Name means 'shy' in Greek, referring to their bashful nature (withdrawing rapidly into their burrow).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 10 - 32 m (Ref. 121479). Subtropical
Distribution
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Western Pacific: Japan, Philippines and NE Borneo.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 72.9 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 121479)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 197. This species is distinguished by the following set of characters: the body is extremely slender, with depth 1.2% TL and 1.0% TL at gill opening and anus, respectively; pre-dorsal-fin vertebrae 8 and pre-anal-fin vertebrae 67, total vertebrae 197; origin of dorsal fin slightly posterior to tip of appressed pectoral fin; chin with numerous small conical cirri; lateral line with 2-3 rows of dark spots above and below; interorbital space with 6-7 rows of dark spots; a large distinct white rectangular blotch on opercle; number and density of spots on head greater than those on body; lips spotted; ground color of body uniformly cream, no microscopic dark speckles (Ref. 121479).
This species forms colonies in muddy bottoms at depths of ca. 30 m off Amami-oshima island (its type locality). Photographic records from other localities were taken over sandy bottoms at depths of 10-12 m. Although sometimes exiting vertically more than 30 cm from their burrows, when approached, individuals immediately disappeared into the burrow with their head holding steadily at ca. several centimeters depth (visible from directly above the burrows). About 40 individuals were estimated for each colony, from a combination of underwater photographs and number of burrows (Ref. 121479).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Koeda, K., T. Fujii and H. Motomura, 2018. A new garden eel, Heteroconger fugax (Congridae: Heterocongrinae), from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Zootaxa 4418(3):287-295. (Ref. 121479)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00102 (0.00046 - 0.00225), b=3.06 (2.88 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (49 of 100).
