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Longtail conger (Uroconger lepturus) — Congridae

Longtail conger

Uroconger lepturus
Family: Congridae
LC · Least Concern

The Longtail conger (Uroconger lepturus) is a saltwater fish of the family Congridae that grows up to 52 cm.

Length
52 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
18.0–760.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Snake-like
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The longtail conger is a conger eel from the Indo-West Pacific. The species grows to about 52 cm and has an elongate, snake-like body tapering at the rear into a long, thin, thread-like tail. As a bottom-dweller it lives buried in sandy and muddy bottoms of the continental shelf and hunts small fish and crustaceans at night. The fish is harmless to humans and is assessed as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Longtail conger?

The Longtail conger has a snake-like body, is mainly brown and shows a plain pattern.

Where does the Longtail conger live?

The Longtail conger lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around sand or mud bottom.

How big does the Longtail conger get?

The Longtail conger grows to a maximum of about 52 cm. On average the species is around 30 cm.

Is the Longtail conger dangerous to humans?

No, the Longtail conger is harmless to humans.

Is the Longtail conger edible?

The Longtail conger is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Langstaart-zeepaling verified
English name
Longtail conger verified
Scientific name
Uroconger lepturus
Family
Congridae
Other names
Slender conger; Yellow pike-conger verified

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
52.0 verified
Average length (cm)
30.0 verified
Body shape
Snake-like sourced
Dominant colour
Brown inferred
Pattern
Plain sourced
Tail shape
Rounded inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thin sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Sand / mud bottom sourced
Min depth (m)
18.0 verified
Max depth (m)
760.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

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

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Bodemvissen met natuurlijk aas (worm, garnaal of vis) op of vlak boven de bodem. 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 Uroconger

More from the family Congridae

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