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Ash-colored conger eel (Conger cinereus) — Congridae

Ash-colored conger eel

Conger cinereus
Family: Congridae
LC · Least Concern

The Ash-colored conger eel (Conger cinereus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Congridae that grows up to 140 cm.

Length
140 cm
Water
Brackish
Depth
0.0–80.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Snake-like
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The moustache conger is a conger eel of the family Congridae from the Indo-Pacific. The species grows to about 1.4 metres and has an elongate, greyish, scaleless body with a dark margin along the dorsal and anal fins; the name 'moustache' refers to a dark stripe on the upper lip. It is a solitary species that by day shelters in crevices and holes of reef flats and seagrass beds of shallow lagoons and at night ranges to at least 80 metres on outer reefs. As a nocturnal predator it hunts fishes and crustaceans. With its powerful jaws it can give a nasty bite; be careful.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Ash-colored conger eel?

The Ash-colored conger eel has a snake-like body, is mainly silver-grey and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Ash-colored conger eel live?

The Ash-colored conger eel lives in brackish water and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Ash-colored conger eel get?

The Ash-colored conger eel grows to a maximum of about 140 cm. On average the species is around 50 cm.

Is the Ash-colored conger eel dangerous to humans?

No, the Ash-colored conger eel is harmless to humans.

Is the Ash-colored conger eel edible?

The Ash-colored conger eel is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Grijze zeepaling sourced
English name
Ash-colored conger eel verified
Scientific name
Conger cinereus
Family
Congridae
Other names
Ashen conger eel; Ashen conger-eel; Blacklip conger; Blackedged conger verified

Appearance

Size class
Extra large verified
Max length (cm)
140.0 verified
Average length (cm)
50.0 verified
Body shape
Snake-like sourced
Dominant colour
Silver / grey inferred
Pattern
Plain inferred
Tail shape
Rounded inferred
Mouth position
Terminal inferred
Lips
Thin inferred
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous inferred
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
0.0 verified
Max depth (m)
80.0 verified
Origin
Native sourced

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal inferred
Reproduction
Separate sexes sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Vissen met natuurlijk aas (vis, garnaal, worm) of kunstaas dicht bij rif- en rotsstructuren. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Conger

More from the family Congridae

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