Snorkel Hawaii - Barred Conger Eel

Family	Congridae
Description	Conger and garden eels
Environment	Marine
Etymology	Latin, conger = conger
Genus	30
No. of Species	194
Order	Anguilliformes
Class	Actinopterygii
Reproductive Guild	Nonguarders
Distribution	Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Body without scales; lateral line complete. Usually with pectoral fins. Branchiostegal rays 8-22. Vertebrae 105-225. Conger eels feed on small fishes and crustaceans, primarily at night. Occur mostly in deep or temperate waters and are valued as food fishes. Garden eels occur in colonies in sand where they live individually in burrows from which they protrude to feed on plankton. Mating and spawning apparently takes place without any lengthy migration. Leptocephali (larvae) showed curling behavior which make them resemble gelatinous zooplankton, e.g. jellyfishes, in observations made at Osprey Reef, Coral Sea.

Barred Conger