A revision of the eels of the genus Conger with descriptions of four new species

PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM by the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM Vol. 108 Washington : 1958 No. 3400 A REVISION OF THE EELS OF THE GENUS CONGER WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF FOUR NEW SPECIES By Robert H. Kanazawa This study redefines the genus Conger Oken and describes 14 species, with 2 subspecies. The leptocephalus larvae referred to this genus were exchided from this study. The most important studies of the genus were by Kaup (1856a, 6), who distinguished nine species. Giinther (1870) recognized four species, but inchided in vulgaris forms from almost the whole world and since then many authors have followed his conclusions. Subsequent authors have made studies on a regional basis : Jordan and Davis (1892) referred the three Atlantic species to Leptocephalus Gronovius, instead of Conger; Jordan and Evermann (1896) combined the conger eels of the Americas and Europe into two species under Leptocephalus; Jordan and Snyder (1901) recognized seven species in Leptocephalus from Japanese waters; Evermann and Kendall (1906) concluded that C. orhignyanus Castelnau from South America is distinct from North American species; Weber and de Beaufort (1916) distinguished but two species in Conger and included with C. conger forms from all over the world; Jordan and Hubbs (1925) placed two species from Japan in Conger and erected the new genus Astroconger for myriaster; Griffin's (1936) revision of New Zealand 219