Frillgill Conger
Blachea xenobranchialis
- Usual depth300–405 m
- Water temperature24–29 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, April, and November
- How commonRare
About this species
Blachea xenobranchialis, the frillgill conger is an eel in the family Congridae, and the type species in the genus Blachea. It was described by Christine Karrer and David G. Smith in 1980. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from northwestern Australia, in the Indo-West Pacific. It dwells at a depth range of 348–385 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting continental shelves and slopes. Males can reach a maximum total length of 47.5 centimetres, while females can reach a maximum TL of 37.5 cm.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Blachea xenobranchialis”, 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: 3 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 5 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 1 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 0 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 5 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 300–405 m · Deepest record: 404.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Frillgill Conger
Names in 2 more languages
- Japanese
- Kazarieraanago, カザリエラアナゴ
- Simplified Chinese
- 外鰓懶糯鰻, 奇鰓糯鰻, 沙鰻, 海鰻, 穴子鰻, 糯米鰻, 臭腥鰻
Similar species
CongerConger conger
Bandtooth congerAriosoma balearicum
Swollenhead CongerBassanago bulbiceps
Longfin African congerConger cinereus
Whitespotted congerConger myriaster
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).
- 29 open-data records from 1971 to 2007.
- Species data updated October 31, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.