Bandtooth conger
Ariosoma balearicum
- Usual depth17–825 m
- Water temperature15–29 °C
- Best monthsFebruary, August, and September
- How commonOccasional
About this species
The bandtooth conger, also known as the Baleares conger or the Balearic conger, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic and the western Indian Ocean, including North Carolina, United States; the northern Gulf of Mexico, northern South America, Canada, Portugal, Angola, the Mediterranean, and the Red Sea. It inhabits reefs and littoral shelves, and burrows into sand and mud. It dwells at a depth range of 1–732 meters (3–2,402 ft), but most frequently between 20–100 m (66–328 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length (TL) of 35 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 25 centimetres (9.8 in)
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bandtooth conger”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 23 records
- February: 65 records
- March: 45 records
- April: 22 records
- May: 15 records
- June: 44 records
- July: 9 records
- August: 64 records
- September: 84 records
- October: 36 records
- November: 15 records
- December: 14 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 17–825 m · Deepest record: 2,441 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 15–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Bandtooth conger, Baleares Conger, Balearic Conger, bandtooth conger, Conger Eel
Names in 3 more languages
- German
- Azorenmuräne, goldener Balearen-Meeraal
- Spanish
- congrillo de charco, Congrillo de charco, Congrio, congrio algino, congrio balear, varga, Varga
- French
- congre des Baléares, Congre des Baléares
Other scientific names: Ariosoma impressa, Ariosoma minor, Ariosoma somaliense, Arisoma balearicum, Conger auratus, Conger balearicus, Conger cassini, Conger impressus, Congermuraena balearica, Congrellus balearicus, Congromuraena balearica, Congromuraena impressa, Echelus ciuciara, Helmichthys diaphanus, Leptocephalus affinis, Leptocephalus eckmani, Leptocephalus ekmani, Leptocephalus inornatus, Leptocephalus marginatus, Leptocephalus microphthalmus, Leptocephalus rex, Leptocephalus taenia, Muraena balearica, Muraena cassini, Ophiosoma impressus, Ophisoma acuta, Ophisoma balearicum, Ophisoma impressus
Similar species
- Darkfin Conger
Ariosoma anago
- Big-eye Conger
Ariosoma anagoides
- Lord Howe Conger
Ariosoma howense
- Mottled Conger
Ariosoma kapala
- Large-eye Conger
Ariosoma marginatum
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 1,490 open-data records from 1883 to 2019.
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