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Leptocephalus (genus)

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Leptocephalus
Leptocephalus conger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Varies
Family:
See text.

Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali, that were thought to be new fish species, or whose adult eel species were not known. Leptocephali differ so much in appearance from their adults that the larvae and adults of eels are not easily matched, and when first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fishes,[1] but not eels. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for unidentified leptocephali even after it was known that these were the larvae of eels thus becoming a "wastebasket taxon", but this practice is no longer used. Examples of marine congrid larvae, found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea that were named this way are listed below. Only two species (L. bellottii and L. ophichthoides) in two families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.

Species

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There are 16 families of Leptocephalus organisms that include over 70 species.[2] They will be broken down according to the species that they contain. If the species has a common name or English name, it will be given after a dash. A common name can belong to many species.

Family Anguillidae

Leptocephalus brevirostris Kaup, 1856European eel

Leptocephalus grassii Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902American eel

Family Chlopsidae

Leptocephalus hyoproroides Strömman, 1896 (valid as Kaupichthys hyoproroides)

Family Congridae

Leptocephalus affinis Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus candidissimus Costa, 1832European conger

Leptocephalus capensis Kaup, 1856 (valid as Gnathophis capensis) – Southern Atlantic conger

Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus, 1758)European conger

Leptocephalus congroides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Heteroconger congroides)

Leptocephalus cotroneii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gorgasia cotroneii)

Leptocephalus eckmani Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus ectenurus Jordan & Richardson, 1909 (valid as Rhynchoconger ectenurus)

Leptocephalus erebennus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Conger erebennus)

Leptocephalus gussoni Cocco, 1829European conger

Leptocephalus inaequalis Facciolà, 1883European conger

Leptocephalus inferomaculatus Blache, 1977 (valid as Gorgasia inferomaculata)

Leptocephalus inornatus Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus lineatus Bonnaterre, 1788European conger

Leptocephalus maculatus Della Croce & Castle, 1966 (valid as Heteroconger hassi) – spotted garden eel

Leptocephalus marginatus Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus mauritianum Pappenheim, 1914 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum) – blunt tooth conger

Leptocephalus microphthalmus Beebe & Tee-Van, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus morrisii Gmelin, 1789European conger

Leptocephalus nystromi Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Gnathophis nystromi)

Leptocephalus orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1837) (valid as Conger orbignianus) – Argentine conger

Leptocephalus pellucidus (Couch, 1832)European conger

Leptocephalus retrotinctus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Bathycongrus retrotinctus) – blackedge conger

Leptocephalus rex Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus sanzoi D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma sanzoi)

Leptocephalus scheelei Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma scheelei) – tropical conger

Leptocephalus spallanzani Risso, 1810European conger

Leptocephalus splendens (Lea, 1913) (valid as Pseudophichthys splendens) – purple-mouthed conger

Leptocephalus stenops Kaup, 1856European conger

Leptocephalus taenia Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus trilineatus Castle, 1964 (valid as Bathycongrus trilineatus)

Leptocephalus vitreus Kölliker, 1853European conger

Leptocephalus wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (valid as Conger wilsoni) – cape conger

Family Cyprinidae

Leptocephalus mongolicus Basilewsky, 1855Mongolian redfin

Family Derichthyidae

Leptocephalus ingolfianus Schmidt, 1912duckbill oceanic eel

Leptocephalus anguilloides Schmidt, 1916narrownecked oceanic eel

Family Eurypharyngidae

Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus Bertin, 1936 (valid as Eurypharynx pelecanoides Bertin, 1936) – pelican eel

Family Moringuidae

Leptocephalus diptychus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1901 (valid as Moringua edwardsi) – spaghetti eel

Leptocephalus tuberculatus Castle, 1965swollengut worm eel

Family Muraenesocidae

Leptocephalus arabicus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gavialiceps arabicus)

Family Muraenidae

Leptocephalus euryurus Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias euryurus)

Leptocephalus forsstromi Strömman, 1896purplemouth moray eel

Leptocephalus similis Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias similis) – pygmy moray

Family Nemichthyidae

Leptocephalus acuticepssouthern snipe eel

Leptocephalus andreae Schmidt, 1912slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus canaricus Lea, 1913slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus curvirostris Strömman, 1896boxer snipe eel

Leptocephalus oxycephalus Pappenheim, 1914avocet snipe eel

Leptocephalus polymerus Lea, 1913boxer snipe eel

Family Nettastomatidae

Leptocephalus bellottii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Nettenchelys bellottii)

Leptocephalus lateromaculatus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Saurenchelys lateromaculata)

Leptocephalus longirostris Kaup, 1856blackfin sorcerer

Leptocephalus oxyrhynchus Bellotti, 1883Facciola's sorcerer

Leptocephalus saurencheloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Facciolella saurencheloides)

Leptocephalus stylurus Lea, 1913pillar wire eel

Leptocephalus urosema Lea, 1913blackfin sorcerer

Family Notacanthidae

Leptocephalus giganteus Castle, 1959giant leptocephalus

Family Ophichthidae

Leptocephalus caudomaculatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902spotted spoon-nose eel

Leptocephalus crenatus Strömman, 1896key worm eel

Leptocephalus echeloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ophichthus echeloides)

Leptocephalus gilberti Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902sooty eel

Leptocephalus hexastigma Regan, 1916key worm eel

Leptocephalus humilis Strömman, 1896key worm eel

Leptocephalus mollis Fowler, 1944speckled worm eel

Leptocephalus mucronatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902margined snake eel

Leptocephalus ophichthoides D'Ancona, 1928

Leptocephalus undulatus Strömman, 1896 (valid as Myrichthys breviceps) – sharptail snake-eel

Family Saccopharyngidae

Leptocephalus latissimus Schmidt, 1912 (valid as Saccopharynx ampullaceus)

Family Serrivomeridae

Leptocephalus lanceolatoides Schmidt, 1916short-tooth sawpalate

Leptocephalus lanceolatus Strömman, 1896Bean's sawtooth eel

Family Synaphobranchidae

Leptocephalus dolichorhynchus Lea, 1913 (valid as Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus)

Leptocephalus proboscideus Lea, 1913 (valid as Dysommina proboscideus)

Leptocephalus telescopicus Schmidt, 1913 (valid as Dysomma brevirostre) – pignosed arrowtooth eel

References

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  1. ^ Miller, Michael J. (2009). "Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer". Aqua-BioScience Monographs 2: 1–94.
  2. ^ "Species of Leptocephalus genus". Fishbase.org.