Kingdom Animalia Class Actinopterygii Rank Genus | Phylum Chordata Order Anguilliformes | |
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Family Ophichthidae (one doubtfully valid species in Nettastomatidae) Similar Eel, Scolecenchelys, Muraenichthys, Ophichthidae | ||
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 different type of fishes, 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 different families are currently treated as having any validity though that of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.
Species
There are 16 different families of leptocephalus organisms that include over 70 different species. 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 – European Eel
Leptocephalus grassii - American Eel
Family Chlopsidae
Leptocephalus hyoproroides – False Moray
Family Colocongridae
Leptocephalus giganteus - Giant Leptocephalus
Family Congridae
Leptocephalus congroides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Heteroconger congroides)
Leptocephalus cotroneii
Leptocephalus ectenurus
Leptocephalus erebennus
Leptocephalus inferomaculatus
Leptocephalus nystromi
Leptocephalus trilineatus
Leptocephalus orbignyanus – Argentine conger
Leptocephalus affinis – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus eckmani - bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus inornatus - bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus marginatus - bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus microphthalmus -bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus rex – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus taenia – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus retrotinctus – blackedge conger
Leptocephalus mauritianum - blunt tooth conger
Leptocephalus wilsoni - cape conger
Leptocephalus candidissimus - European conger
Leptocephalus conger - European conger
Leptocephalus gussoni - European conger
Leptocephalus inaequalis - European conger
Leptocephalus lineatus - European conger
Leptocephalus morrisii – European conger
Leptocephalus pellucidus – European conger
Leptocephalus spallanzani – European conger
Leptocephalus stenops – European conger
Leptocephalus vitreus – European conger
Leptocephalus splendens – purplemouthed conger
Leptocephalus capensis - Southern conger
Leptocephalus maculatus - spotted garden eel
Leptocephalus scheelei – tropical conger
Family Cyprinidae
Leptocephalus mongolicus - Mongolian redfin
Family Derichthyidae
Leptocephalus ingolfianus - duckbill oceanic eel
Leptocephalus anguilloides - narrownecked oceanic eel
Family Eurypharyngidae
Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus – pelican eel
Family Moringuidae
Leptocephalus diptychus - spaghetti eel
Leptocephalus tuberculatus
Family Muraenesocidae
Leptocephalus arabicus
Family Muraenidae
Leptocephalus euryurus
Leptocephalus forsstromi - purplemouth moray
Leptocephalus similis – pygmy moray
Family Nemichthyidae
Leptocephalus oxycephalus - avocet snipe eel
Leptocephalus curvirostris – boxer snipe eel
Leptocephalus polymerus - boxer snipe eel
Leptocephalus andreae – slender snipe eel
Leptocephalus canaricus – slender snipe eel
Leptocephalus acuticeps – southern snipe eel
Family Nettastomatidae
Leptocephalus bellottii D'Ancona, 1928 (probably junior synonym of Nettastoma melanurum)
Leptocephalus lateromaculatus
Leptocephalus saurencheloides
Leptocephalus longirostris - blackfin sorcerer
Leptocephalus urosema - blackfin sorcerer
Leptocephalus oxyrhynchus - Facciola’s sorcerer
Leptocephalus stylurus – pillar wire eel
Family Ophichthidae
Leptocephalus echeloides
Leptocephalus ophichthoides
Leptocephalus crenatus – key worm eel
Leptocephalus hexastigma – key worm eel
Leptocephalus humilis - key worm eel
Leptocephalus mucronatus – margined snake eel
Leptocephalus undulatus - sharptail eel
Leptocephalus gilberti - sooty eel
Leptocephalus mollis – speckled worm eel
Leptocephalus caudomaculatus – spotted spoon-nose eel
Family Saccopharyngidae
Leptocephalus latissimus – gulper eel
Family Serrivomeridae
Leptocephalus lanceolatus – Bean’s sawtooth eel
Leptocephalus lanceolatoides – short tooth sawpalate
Family Synaphobranchidae
Leptocephalus dolichorhynchus
Leptocephalus proboscideus
Leptocephalus telescopicus – pignosed arrowtooth eel