Updated 8 Feb. 2024
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Subfamily CONGRINAE Kaup 1856

Acromycter Smith & Kanazawa 1977 ákron (Gr. ἅκρον), summit, top or peak; myktḗr (Gr. μυκτήρ), nostril, referring to position of posterior nostril on top of head

Acromycter alcocki (Gilbert & Cramer 1897) patronym not identified but almost certainly in honor of British physician-naturalist Alfred William Alcock (1859–1933), who collected and described many deep-sea fishes, including several eels

Acromycter atlanticus Smith 1989 –icus (L.), belonging to: Atlantic Ocean, occurring off the coasts of Florida, Puerto Rico, Lesser Antilles and Nicaragua

Acromycter longipectoralis Karmovskaya 2004 longus (L.), long; pectoralis (L.), pectoral, referring to its long pectoral fins, more than 30% of head length

Acromycter nezumi (Asano 1958) Japanese for gray, presumably referring to its grayish-brown color (in formalin) of top of head and upper half of body

Acromycter perturbator (Parr 1932) Latin for one who confuses, referring to the trouble it caused Parr in trying to determine its systematic position

Bassanago Whitley 1948 Bass, referring to Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia, type locality of B. bulbiceps; anago, Japanese for conger eel

Bassanago albescens (Barnard 1923) Latin for whitish, referring to its yellow-white coloration

Bassanago bulbiceps Whitley 1948 bolbós (Gr. βολβός), a bulb or bulbous root; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its “swollen, bulbous, spongy” head, “inflated at gills”

Bassanago hirsutus (Castle 1960) Latin for hairy, referring to minute, hair-like, fleshy epidermal processes thickly and almost completely covering body, giving appearance of a dark, hairy coating

Bassanago nielseni (Karmovskaya 1990) in honor of Danish ichthyologist Jørgen G. Nielsen (b. 1932), Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, “famous specialist on deep-sea fishes”

Bathycongrus Ogilby 1898 bathýs (Gr. βαθύς), deep, “for the most part inhabiting considerable depths”; Congrus (=Conger), an “allied” genus

Bathycongrus aequoreus (Gilbert & Cramer 1897) Latin for of the sea, presumably referring to its deepwater habitat (685.8 m)

Bathycongrus albimarginatus Huang, Smith, Chang & Chen 2018 albus (L.), white; marginatus (L.), bordered or edged, referring to white borderline on dorsal, caudal and anal fins

Bathycongrus bertini (Poll 1953) in honor of French ichthyologist Léon Bertin (1896–1954), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris)

Bathycongrus bimaculatus Smith & Ho 2018 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to two black patches on anterior portion of dorsal-fin margin

Bathycongrus bleekeri Fowler 1934 in honor of Dutch army surgeon and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878), “who studied Philippine fishes, if only incidental to his exhaustive work on those of the East Indies”

Bathycongrus brunneus Huang, Ho & Chen 2018 Medieval Latin for brown, referring to its uniformly brownish body

Bathycongrus bullisi (Smith & Kanazawa 1977 in honor of American marine biologist Harvey R. Bullis, Jr. (1924–1992), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS vessels collected some of the species described by the authors)

Bathycongrus castlei Smith & Ho 2018 patronym not identified by clearly in honor of Peter H. J. Castle (1934–1999), Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand), whose works on congrid eels are cited several times by the authors

Bathycongrus dubius (Breder 1927) Latin for doubtful, referring to its “doubtful relationships” (originally placed in Muraenesocidae with features similar to both Muraenesox and Xenomystax)

Bathycongrus graciliceps Smith & Ho 2018 gracilis (L.), thin or slender; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to small, slender head, distinctly narrower than trunk

Bathycongrus guttulatus (Günther 1887) diminutive of guttatus (L.), dotted, referring to “extremely minute black dots above and another below the lateral line”

Bathycongrus longicavis Karmovskaya 2009 longus (L.), long; cavus (L.), hollow or hole, referring to long abdominal cavity

Bathycongrus macrocercus (Alcock 1894) big-tailed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and kérkos (Gr. κέρκος), tail, “nearly twice as long as the head and trunk combined”

Bathycongrus macroporis (Kotthaus 1968) large-pored, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and poris, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore, referring to “unusually large” (translation) mucus pores on head

Bathycongrus macrurus (Gilbert 1891)  large-tailed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its tail much longer than its body

Bathycongrus melanostomus Huang, Ho, Chen & Chan 2022 black-mouthed, from mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to its blackish mouth cavity

Bathycongrus nasicus (Alcock 1894) scientific Neo-Latin for nasal or large-nosed, presumably referring to its snout, which projects beyond mouth and is ¼ length of head

Bathycongrus odontostomus (Fowler 1934) odontos, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth; stomus, Latinized from stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, probably referring to dentition covered by large, fleshy lips

Bathycongrus parapolyporus Karmovskaya 2009 pará (Gr. παρά), near, referring to its similarity to B. polyporus

Bathycongrus parviporus Karmovskaya 2011 small-pored, from parvus (L.), little, and porus, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore, referring to small infraorbital pores compared to enlarged pores of all known congeners

Bathycongrus polyporus (Smith & Kanazawa 1977) multi-pored, from poly- (Gr.), many, and porus, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore, referring to multiple pores on head and lateral line

Bathycongrus retrotinctus (Jordan & Snyder 1901) retro– (L.), behind; tinctus (L.), painted or stained, referring to black tail tip on otherwise pale-brown, somewhat silvery, body

Bathycongrus thysanochilus (Reid 1934) thýsanos (Gr. θύσανος), tassel or fringe; cheí̄los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to fringed inner lip

Bathycongrus trilineatus (Castle 1964) tri– (L.), three; lineatus (L.), lined, referring to three longitudinal lateral rows of chromatophores, which distinguishes it from all other congrid leptocephali

Bathycongrus trimaculatus Karmovskaya & Smith 2008 tri– (L.), three; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to number of spots on dorsal and anal fins

Bathycongrus unimaculatus Karmovskaya 2009 uni-, from unus (L.), one; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to dark, long spot on posterior part of anal fin

Bathycongrus varidens (Garman 1899) varius (L.), different; dens (L.), tooth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to outer teeth larger than inner teeth

Bathycongrus vicinalis (Garman 1899) Latin for neighboring, i.e., close to Uroconger (=Bathyuroconger) vicinus, with which it had been misidentified

Bathycongrus villosus Smith, Karmovskaya & da Silva 2020 Latin for hairy or shaggy (villous), referring to small dermal villi or papillae on head and body

Bathycongrus wallacei (Castle 1968) in honor of John H. Wallace (ca. 1921–ca. 1986), Oceanographic Research Institute (Durban), whose efforts were primarily responsible in forwarding valuable specimens of this species for study

Bathyuroconger Fowler 1934 bathýs (Gr. βαθύς), deep, proposed as a subgenus of Uroconger that occurs in a “bassalian” (deep sea) habitat

Bathyuroconger albus Smith, Ho & Tashiro 2018 Latin for white, referring to its pale coloration compared with congeners

Bathyuroconger dolichosomus Smith, Ho & Tashiro 2018 dolichós (Gr. δολιχός), long; somus, from sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body (but treated as an adjective, bodied, in which case somatus would have been the preferred spelling), referring to its long trunk, more than three times the head length, and correspondingly high number of preanal (63 vs. 43-55) and precaudal (70 vs. 52–63) vertebrae

Bathyuroconger fowleri Smith, Ho & Tashiro 2018 patronym not identified but clearly in honor of American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, who reported this eel as Silvesterina (=Bathyuroconger) parvibranchialis in 1934

Bathyuroconger hawaiiensis Smith, Ho & Tashiro 2018 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hawaiian Islands north of Maui, type locality

Bathyuroconger parvibranchialis (Fowler 1934) parvus (L.), little; branchialis, scientific Neo-Latin from bránchia (Gr. βράγχια), gills, referring to its “very small gill opening, with the appearance of a large pore with a slightly elevated cutaneous rim”

Bathyuroconger vicinus (Vaillant 1888) Latin for near, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its presumed relationship with Uroconger lepturus

Blachea Karrer & Smith 1980 [i]a– (L. suffix), pertaining to: French ichthyologist Jacques Blache (1922–1994), for his many contributions to our knowledge of anguilliform fishes, both adults and larvae

Blachea longicaudalis Karmovskaya 2004 longus (L.), long; caudalis (L.), of the tail, referring to its highly elongated caudal section

Blachea xenobranchialis Karrer & Smith 1980 xeno-, from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign; branchialis, scientific Neo-Latin from bránchia (Gr. βράγχια), gills (used here as an adjective, gilled), referring to the uniqueness of its three branchiostegal rays, which protrude freely from a membrane in front of gill opening

Castleichthys Smith 2004 in honor of the late Peter H. J. Castle (1934–1999), Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand), who located holotype and recognized its novelty but was unable to complete the description himself, for his many contributions to our knowledge of eels and eel larvae; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Castleichthys auritus Smith 2004 Latin for eared, referring to large, conspicuous pectoral fins, which resemble ears of a rabbit or mule

Conger Bosc 1817 tautonymous with Muraena conger Linnaeus 1758, from góngros (γόγγρος), derived from gongýlos (γογγύλος), round, an ancient Greek name for a Mediterranean eel, historically applied to C. conger

Conger cinereus Rüppell 1830 Latin for gray, referring to its greenish-gray coloration

Conger conger (Linnaeus 1758) from góngros (γόγγρος), derived from gongýlos (γογγύλος), round, ancient Greek name for a Mediterranean sea eel, historically applied to this species

Conger erebennus (Jordan & Snyder 1901) Latin for very black, after Erebus, a place of darkness in the nether world, referring to its “almost black” coloration

Conger esculentus Poey 1861 Latin for edible, apparently used as food in Cuba (type locality)

Conger jordani Kanazawa 1958 in honor of American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851–1931), who “pioneered in studies of Japanese fishes”

Conger macrocephalus Kanazawa 1958  big-headed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its long head, nearly 20% of total length

Conger marginatus Valenciennes 1850 Latin for bordered or edged, probably referring to black border on whitish dorsal and anal fins

Conger melanopterus Kodeeswaran, Smith, Dhas, Kumar & Lal 2023 black-finned, from mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to its completely black pectoral fin, much darker than its blackish body

Conger myriaster (Brevoort 1856) myríos (Gr. μυρίος), numberless; astḗr (Gr. ἀστήρ), star, referring to numerous stellate pores on snout and opercle

Conger oceanicus (Mitchill 1818) -icus (L.), belonging to: oceanus> (L.), the ocean, apparently intended to distinguish this marine eel from the freshwater Anguilla rostrata (Anguillidae)

Conger oligoporus Kanazawa 1958 scantily-pored, from oligos (Gr. ὀλίγος), few or scanty, and porus, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore, referring 35–36 lateral-line pores compared with 37+ in most of the congeners Kanazawa studied

Conger orbignianus Valenciennes 1837 –anus (L.), belonging to: French naturalist Alcide d’Orbigny (1802–1857), who discovered this species while collecting in South America for the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) from 1827–1833

Conger philippinus Kanazawa 1958 –inus (L.), pertaining to: the Philippines, were holotype was found at a fish market in Cebu

Conger triporiceps Kanazawa 1958 tri– (L.), three; por-, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to three pores in the supratemporal commissure

Conger verreauxi Kaup 1856 in honor of Kaup’s “honorable friend” (translation) Julius (or Jules) Verreaux (1807–1873), Frencj botanist, ornithologist and trader in natural history specimens, who collected holotype in Australia

Conger wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider 1801) patronym not identified; name coined by Banning (identity unknown) from a specimen collected in Australia

Congrhynchus Fowler 1934 a Conger with a long rhynchus (from rhýnchos, Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, “pointed, protruded well beyond end of mandible”

Congrhynchus talabonoides Fowler 1934 –oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its superficial resemblance to Muraenesox (=Congresox) talabon (Muraenesocidae)

Congriscus Jordan & Hubbs 1925 diminutive of Conger, presumably referring to how it “seems to stand directly between Anago [=Ariosoma] and Conger in its technical characters”

Congriscus maldivensis (Norman 1939) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Maldive Islands, type locality

Congriscus marquesaensis Karmovskaya 2004 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Marquesas Islands, only known area of occurrence

Congriscus megastoma (Günther 1877) mégas (Gr. μέγας), large; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to “mouth extending far behind the middle of the eye” [often declined as an adjective, macrostomus (large-mouthed), but Günther consistently used it as an indeclinable noun]

Congrosoma Garman 1899 etymology not explained, possibly referring to similarity of sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body, to that of Congermuraena (=Ariosoma, in Bathymyrinae)

Congrosoma evermanni Garman 1899 in honor of American ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853–1932), United States Fish Commission

Diploconger Kotthaus 1968 diplo-, from diplóos (Gr. διπλόος) or diploū́s (διπλοῦς), twofold or double, referring to double row of lateral line pores; conger, a conger eel

Diploconger polystigmatus Kotthaus 1968 poly- (Gr.), many; stigmatus (Latinized Gr.), punctured, referring to numerous pores on head

Gavialiceps Alcock 1889 gavialis (Neo-Latin), a crocodile-like reptile; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed (but treated here as a noun, head, as all genus-level names are nouns), likely referring to gavial-like snout of G. taeniola in the “form of a stout spathulate beak”

Gavialiceps arabicus (D’Ancona 1928) –icus (L.), belonging to: Arabia, referring to its occurrence in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea

Gavialiceps bertelseni Karmovskaya 1993 in memory of Erik Bertelsen (1912–1993), Zoological Museum of the University of Copenhagen, a “leading ichthyologist and outstanding person”

Gavialiceps javanicus Karmovskaya 1993 –icus (L.), belonging to: slope of Java at depths of 560–600 m, type locality

Gavialiceps taeniola Alcock 1889 diminutive of taenia (L.), from tainia (Gr. ταινία), band or ribbon, probably referring to its “long lash-like tail”

Gavialiceps taiwanensis (Chen & Weng 1967) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tungkong, Taiwan, type locality

Gnathophis Kaup 1859 etymology not explained, perhaps gnathos (Gr.), jaw, referring to protruding upper lip (i.e., overhanging snout); óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, referring to snake-like shape of an eel and/or similarity or affinity to the ophichthid genera Myrus (=Echelus) and/or Myrophis, which also have overhanging snouts

Gnathophis andriashevi Karmovskaya 1990 in honor of the 80th birthday of Anatoly Petrovich Andriyashev (1910–2009), “founder of Soviet oceanic ichthyology”

Gnathophis asanoi Karmovskaya 2004 in honor of Hirotoshi Asano, Kinki (now Kindai) University (Japan), for significant contributions to the study of congrid eels of the Japanese Archipelago

Gnathophis bathytopos Smith & Kanazawa 1977 bathýs (Gr. βαθύς), deep; tópos (Gr. τόπος), place, referring to its relatively deepwater habitat (90–366 m) compared with G. bracheatopos

Gnathophis bracheatopos Smith & Kanazawa 1977 brachýs (Gr. Βραχύς), short or shallow; tópos (Gr. τόπος), place, referring to its relatively shallow-water habitat (55–110 m) compared with G. bathytopos

Gnathophis capensis (Kaup 1856) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, type locality

Gnathophis castlei Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 in memory of Peter H. J. Castle (1934–1999), Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand), who greatly contributed to the knowledge of South Pacific eels, as well as provided New Zealand specimens for the authors’ study

Gnathophis cinctus (Garman 1899) Latin for belted or girdled, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “one hundred and eleven transverse muscle bands forward of the vent and twenty-seven behind it”

Gnathophis codoniphorus Maul 1972 codono-, from kṓdōnos (Gr. κώδωνος), genitive of kṓdōn (κώδων), bell; phorus, from phoreus (Gr.), bearer or carrier, referring to bell-shaped tube on anterior nostril opening

Gnathophis ginanago (Asano 1958) from Nise-gin-anago, Japanese vernacular for this eel, translating as “fake silver conger eel”

Gnathophis grahami Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 in honor of New Zealand-born Australian ichthyologist Kenneth (Ken) J. Graham (b. 1947), who provided holotype and other east coast specimens to the Australian Museum, as well as information about the biology and distribution of eastern species and suggestions for the manuscript

Gnathophis habenatus (Richardson 1848) Neo-Latin for bridled, referring to “mesial fold of loose skin, uniting with the upper lip, [which] gives a bridled appearance to the snout”

Gnathophis heterognathos (Bleeker 1858) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), jaw, referring to upper jaw much longer than lower jaw

Gnathophis heterolinea (Kotthaus 1968) héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different; linea (L.), line, referring to irregular arrangement of lateral line pores

Gnathophis leptosomatus Karrer 1982 thin-bodied, from leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin, and somatus, from sōmatikós (Gr. σωματικός), bodied, referring to its slim and graceful (“élancé et gracile”) body

Gnathophis longicauda (Ramsay & Ogilby 1888) longus (L.), long; cauda (L.), tail, referring to longer tail compared with G. habenatus

Gnathophis macroporis Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 large-pored, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and poris, from póros (Gr. πόρος), pore, referring to its relatively large sensory pores

Gnathophis melanocoelus Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; coelus, from koilía (Gr. κοιλία), belly or abdomen, referring to black color of intestine

Gnathophis microps Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its relatively small eyes

Gnathophis musteliceps (Alcock 1894) mustela (L), weasel; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, presumably referring to its weasel-like snout (“narrow, and tapering to a very sharp point”)

Gnathophis mystax (Delaroche 1809) mýstax (Gr. μύσταξ), upper lip or moustache, referring to swollen and thickened upper lip

Gnathophis nasutus Karmovskaya & Paxton 2000 Latin for big-nosed, referring to snout projecting well beyond lower jaw

Gnathophis neocaledoniensis Karmovskaya 2004 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: northwest of New Caledonia, type locality

Gnathophis parini Karmovskaya 1990 in honor of Nikolai Vasil’evich Parin (1932–2012), P. P. Shirov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, “specialist in the study of fish[es] occurring on submarine ridges in the southeastern Pacific”

Gnathophis smithi Karmovskaya 1990 in honor of American ichthyologist David G. Smith, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), “the well-known specialist on eels”

Gnathophis tritos Smith & Kanazawa 1977 trítos (Gr. τρίτος), being the third species of Gnathophis discovered in the western Atlantic

Gnathophis umbrellabius (Whitley 1948) umbrella, from the Italian ombrella and ombrello, a screen or shade; labius (L.), lipped, allusion not explained, probably referring to two overhanging flaps of skin over upper jaw, the “second scalloped and lying over the lips, which are supported by well-developed labial bones,” i.e., like the slender ribs that support the canopy of an umbrella

Gnathophis xenica (Matsubara & Ochiai 1951) xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., aberrant), allusion not explained; described as subspecies of Ariosoma nystromi (=G. heterognathus), possibly referring to more vertebrae (152–154 vs. 114–132) and/or smaller size (264 mm vs. 300 mm) at maturity

Japonoconger Asano 1958 a conger eel from Japan, where type species, J. sivicolus, occurs

Japonoconger africanus (Poll 1953) –ana (L.), belonging to: Africa, referring to its distribution off the coast of Angola in the southeastern Atlantic

Japonoconger caribbeus Smith & Kanazawa 1977 named for the Caribbean Sea, only known area of occurrence

Japonoconger proriger (Gilbert 1891) prṓra (Gr. πρῷρα), prow or bow; -iger (L.), to bear, referring to long, sharp snout, “the acute soft tip protruding beyond the mandible” [generic status uncertain; placed in Arisosoma, as porigerum, by some workers]

Japonoconger sivicolus (Matsubara & Ochiai 1951) sivi-, presumed Latinization of Shiwo from Kuro Shiwo, Black Current; –colus (L.), dwelling in, referring to its occurrence in the major Pacific Ocean current that washes the southeastern shores of Asia

Lumiconger Castle & Paxton 1984 lumen (L.), light, referring to luminescent diverticulum at anteriormost portion of intestine; conger, a conger eel

Lumiconger arafura Castle & Paxton 1984 named for the Arafura Sea, northern Australia, where most of the type specimens were trawled

Macrocephenchelys Fowler 1934 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to long, obtuse and compressed head of M. brachialis; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Macrocephenchelys brachialis Fowler 1934 Latin for brachial (of the arm), referring to its long pectoral fins

Macrocephenchelys brevirostris (Chen & Weng 1967) brevis (L.), short; rostris (scientific Neo-Latin), snouted, referring to its “blunt, stout and short” snout

Macrocephenchelys nigriventris Lin, Shao & Smith 2018 nigra (L. feminine of niger), black or dark; ventris (L.), genitive of venter, belly, referring to conspicuous black pigment on posterior abdomen and anus

Macrocephenchelys soela Castle 1990 named for the CSIRO (Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) fisheries research vessel Soela, from which holotype was collected and which has contributed substantially to collections of fishes around Australia

Macrocephenchelys sumodi Kodeeswaran, Smith, Ajith Kumar & Sarkar 2023 in honor of the late K. S. Sumod (1982–?), for his contribution to the study of deep-sea eels of Indian waters

Paruroconger Blache & Bauchot 1976 par[a] (Gr.), beside or near, referring to its close affinities with Uroconger, distinguished by its very wide interorbital and more than one series of vomerine teeth

Paruroconger drachi Blache & Bauchot 1976 in honor of French marine biologist Pierre Drach (1906–1998), Director, Station Zoologique, Laboratoire Arago (also known as Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer) at Banyuls, France

Promyllantor Alcock 1890 etymology not explained, possibly pro– (L.), forward or in front of; mýllon (Gr. μύλλον), lip; –tor (L.), suffix signifying agent or doer, referring to how jaws are “completely hidden by the very thick inflated lips”

Promyllantor adenensis (Klausewitz 1991) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Aden, northwestern Indian Ocean, type locality

Promyllantor atlanticus Karmovskaya 2006 –icus (L.), belonging to: southeastern Atlantic Ocean off Congo, type locality

Promyllantor purpureus Alcock 1890 Latin for purple, referring to uniform purple-black coloration of body and fins

Pseudophichthys Roule 1915 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false; ophichthys, referring to “Ophichthydés” (i.e., the snake eel family Ophichthidae), i.e., although P. latedorsalis (=splendens) may resemble a snake eel, such an appearance is false

Pseudophichthys splendens (Lea 1913) Latin for shining, described as a leptocephalus with a “beautiful form” distinguished by melanophores or patches of small melanophores scattered over its body

Rhynchoconger Jordan & Hubbs 1925 rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, allusion not explained, probably referring to strongly projecting snout of R. ectenurus; conger, a conger eel

Rhynchoconger bicoloratus Kodeeswaran, Mohapatra, Kumar & Lal 2023 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; coloratus (L.), colored, referring to darker dorsal color and paler ventral color

Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Jordan & Richardson 1909) ekteínō (Gr. ἐκτείνω), to stretch; urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to its tail “tapering rapidly, becoming very slender toward tip”

Rhynchoconger flavus (Goode & Bean 1896) Latin for yellow or tawny hued, referring to its yellowish coloration

Rhynchoconger gracilior (Ginsburg 1951) comparative of gracilis (L.), thin or slender, being more slender-bodied than R. flavus

Rhynchoconger guppyi (Norman 1925) in honor of naturalist Plantagenet Lechmere Guppy (1871–1934, son of the civil engineer who discovered the Guppy, Poecilia reticulata), who collected holotype and sent it to the British Museum

Rhynchoconger nitens (Jordan & Bollman 1890) Latin for shining, probably referring to “silvery shade across opercles and below lateral line” and/or “bright silvery” peritoneum

Rhynchoconger randalli Acharya, Mohanty, Ray, Mishra & Mohapatra 2022 in honor of “renowned” American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu)

Rhynchoconger smithi Mohapatra, Ho, Acharya, Ray & Mishra 2022 in honor of the “renowned” American ichthyologist David G. Smith, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for his “enormous” contribution to eel systematics

Rhynchoconger squaliceps (Alcock 1894) etymology not explained, presumably squalus (L.), a sea-fish, often applied to sharks; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, possibly referring to snout projecting “far beyond” mouth, like that of many sharks

Rhynchoconger trewavasae Ben-Tuvia 1993 in honor of the late British ichthyologist Ethelwynn Trewavas (1900-1993), British Museum (Natural History), “in appreciation of her kindness and outstanding contribution to systematics of fishes”

Scalanago Whitley 1935 scala (L.), ladder, referring to lateral-line branches, “giving a somewhat ladder-like appearance”; anago, Japanese for conger eel

Scalanago lateralis Whitley 1935 Latin for “of the side,” referring to its distinctive ladder-like lateral line (see genus)

Uroconger Kaup 1856 uro, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, probably referring to tapering and whip-like tail of U. lepturus; conger, a conger eel

Uroconger erythraeus Castle 1982 –eus, Latin suffix, having the quality of: erythrós (Gr. ἐρυθρός), red, referring not to its color (light brown above and creamy white below, in alcohol), but presumably to its being a Red Sea endemic

Uroconger lepturus (Richardson 1845)  thin-tailed, from leptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its “tapering and whip-like” tail

Uroconger syringinus Ginsburg 1954 –inus (L.), pertaining to: sýrinx (Gr. σῦριγξ), pipe or tube, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its tubular anterior nostril

Xenomystax Gilbert 1891 xeno-,from xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange or foreign (i.e., different); mystax (Gr.), upper lip, probably referring to exposed teeth along upper jaw of X. atrarius

Xenomystax atrarius Gilbert 1891 apparently incorrect comparative of ater (L.), black (correct would be atrior or atrius), referring to its dark-brown coloration and/or black fins

Xenomystax austrinus Smith & Kanazawa 1989 Latin for southern, referring to predominant distribution in southern Caribbean Sea

Xenomystax bidentatus (Reid 1940) bi-, from bis (L.), two; dentatus (L.), toothed, referring to arrangement of teeth on maxilla and mandible, with inner row separated from outer rows by an edentulous groove

Xenomystax congroides Smith & Kanazawa 1989 -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: Conger, referring to its being the most congrid-like eel in genus

Xenomystax trucidans Alcock 1894 Latin for butchering or slaughtering, presumably referring to its enlarged premaxillary and mandibular teeth and/or vomerine teeth, which form a short row of fangs

Garden Eels
Subfamily HETEROCONGRINAE Günther 1870
 
Gorgasia Meek & Hildebrand 1923 -ia (L. suffix), pertaining to: the late Gen. William Crawford Gorgas (1854–1920), chief sanitary officer, Panama Canal Zone, through whose department the authors received invaluable aid

Gorgasia barnesi Robison & Lancraft 1984 in honor of Anthony T. Barnes, colleague and shipmate aboard research vessel Alpha Helix, from which holotype was collected

Gorgasia cotroneii (D’Ancona 1928) in honor of Italian zoologist Giulio Cotronei (1885–1962), Director, Institute of Comparative Anatomy, R. Università di Roma, where D’Ancona was based

Gorgasia galzini Castle & Randall 1999 in honor of fish ecologist René Galzin (b. 1950), who provided many specimens for study and valuable information on its biology

Gorgasia hawaiiensis Randall & Chess 1980 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Hawaiian Islands, where it appears to be endemic

Gorgasia inferomaculata (Blache 1977) inferus (L.), low; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to melanophores on lower body of leptocephalus

Gorgasia japonica Abe, Miki & Asai 1977 –ica (L), belonging to: Japan, referring to type locality near Hachijo-Kojima

Gorgasia klausewitzi Quéro & Saldanha 1995 in honor of German ichthyologist Wolfgang Klausewitz (1922–2018), friend, colleague and garden eel expert, who encouraged the authors to describe this species

Gorgasia maculata Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1959 Latin for spotted, referring to off-white spotting on head and along lateral line

Gorgasia naeocepaea (Böhlke 1951) Latinization of the Greek naíō (ναίω),, to dwell, and kēpos (κῆπος) or kēpíon (κηπίον, diminutive), garden, i.e., garden dweller (garden eels live in groups in small burrows, poking their heads out of the sand as if “growing” from the sea floor, resembling plants in a garden)

Gorgasia preclara Böhlke & Randall 1981 Latin for very beautiful or splendid, referring to its distinctive color pattern consisting of narrow pale bands separated by wider brownish bands

Gorgasia punctata Meek & Hildebrand 1923 Latin for spotted, referring to “dark punctulations” everywhere on body except chin, “forming small spots on head and anterior part of body”

Gorgasia sillneri Klausewitz 1962 in honor of German underwater photographer Ludwig Sillner (1914–1973), who collected holotype and made important field observations on its ecology and life coloration

Gorgasia taiwanensis Shao 1990 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: southern Taiwan (Wan-li-tung, Hengchun), type locality

Gorgasia thamani Greenfield & Niesz 2004 in honor of Randolph R. Thaman (b. 1943), professor of Pacific Islands biogeography, University of the South Pacific in Fiji, for “unending assistance” to the authors in arranging their field work and for promoting the conservation of Fiji’s marine and terrestrial fauna

Heteroconger Bleeker 1868 héteros (Gr. ἕτερος), different, i.e., a genus that differs from four genera Bleeker believed comprised the conger eels: Conger, Ophiosoma (=Ariosoma), Uroconger and Neoconger (now in Moringuidae)

Heteroconger balteatus Castle & Randall 1999 Latin for belted, referring to distinctive white oblique band on trunk

Heteroconger camelopardalis (Lubbock 1980) camelus (L.), camel; pardus (L.), leopard, together forming the ancient name of the giraffe (cameleopard), referring to its giraffe-like spots

Heteroconger canabus (Cowan & Rosenblatt 1974) from kanábinos (Gr. κανάβινος), lean, slender or thin, referring to its “excessively elongate” body

Heteroconger chapmani (Herre 1923) in honor of James Wittenmyer Chapman (1880–1964), American Presbyterian missionary and myrmecologist, Silliman Institute, Dumaguete, Oriental Negros, Philippines

Heteroconger cobra Böhlke & Randall 1981 referring to the distinct cobra-like markings on its head and trunk, and its cobra-like (i.e., reared-up) posture

Heteroconger congroides (D’Ancona 1928) -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: conger eel (described from a leptocephalus believed to belong to Conger or some other congrid genus)

Heteroconger digueti (Pellegrin 1923) in honor of Léon Diguet (1859–1926), French chemist, naturalist and explorer, who collected specimens in México (including holotype of this one) for the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris)

Heteroconger enigmaticus Castle & Randall 1999 Latin for enigmatic or mysterious, referring to the “puzzling position” it occupies between H. obscurus and H. perissodon, which are externally similar and perhaps more closely related than any other groups in the subfamily

Heteroconger fugax Koeda, Fujii & Motomura 2018 Latin for coy (i.e., shy), referring to its bashful nature (individuals immediately disappeared into their burrows when approached)

Heteroconger guttatus Allen, Erdmann & Mongdong 2020 Latin for spotted or speckled, referring to its distinctive, dense pattern of small, round, orange- to dark-brown spots over a pale background on head and body, becoming smaller ventrally

Heteroconger hassi (Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1959) in honor of Austrian biologist, underwater cinematographer and scuba-diving pioneer Hans Hass (1919–2013), who discovered this eel and led the expedition during which the holotype was collected

Heteroconger klausewitzi (Eibl-Eibesfeldt & Köster 1983) in honor of German ichthyologist (and garden eel specialist) Wolfgang Klausewitz (1922–2018), who visited the Galápagos (where this eel occurs) with senior author in the 1950s

Heteroconger lentiginosus Böhlke & Randall 1981 Latin for freckled, referring to brown freckles on pale background (in alcohol) and small black spots (in life)

Heteroconger longissimus Günther 1870 Latin for longest, referring to tail being twice as long as body

Heteroconger luteolus Smith 1989 luteus (L.), yellow; –olus, (L.), diminutive suffix, i.e., yellowish, referring to its bright-yellow dorsal coloration in life and/or pale-yellow color in preservative

Heteroconger mercyae Allen & Erdmann 2009 in honor of Mercy Payne (b. 1998), Pittsfield, Massachusetts (USA), who discovered the eel colony and helped the authors collect type specimens during a diving cruise with her family

Heteroconger obscurus (Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt 1959) Latin for dark, probably referring to brownish head and body dotted with countless tiny dark brown spots

Heteroconger pellegrini Castle 1999 in honor of French zoologist Jacques Pellegrin (misspelled Jaques, 1873–1944), who described the first garden eel collected in the Gulf of California (H. digueti), for his contribution to knowledge of the Heterocongrinae

Heteroconger perissodon Böhlke & Randall 1981 perissós (Gr. περισσός), extraordinary; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to well-developed pterygoid tooth patches (“extra teeth”) between maxillary and vomerine patches

Heteroconger polyzona Bleeker 1868 polý (Gr. πολύ), many; zona (L.), belt or girdle, referring to numerous, close-set, narrow black bars on head and trunk, progressing less distinctly on tail, and altering posteriorly to faint dark spots

Heteroconger taylori Castle & Randall 1995 in honor of Australian underwater photographer Ron Taylor (1934–2012), for his “superb” films and videos, and whose video of this eel prompted the second author to collect it

Heteroconger tomberua Castle & Randall 1999 named for the Tomberua Passage, Viti Levu, Fiji, type locality

Heteroconger tricia Castle & Randall 1999 in honor of Australian ichthyologist Patricia J. Kailola, who, with her colleague Thomas Gloerfeldt-Tarp, reported on extensive collections of fishes, including this one, in the southern Indonesian area and on the Northwest Shelf of Australia

Subfamily BATHYMYRINAE Böhlke 1949

Ariosoma Swainson 1838 etymology not explained, perhaps arís (Gr. ἀρίς), auger, and sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body, referring to how relatively stout body and blunt tail of A. acutum (=balearicum) may look like something that bores holes (David G. Smith, pers. comm), or perhaps arí– (Gr. ἀρί), intensive prefix meaning “very,” referring to stouter body of the genus compared with the more elongate Conger

Ariosoma albimaculatum Kodeeswaran, Dhas, Kumar & Lal 2022 albus (L.), white; maculatum (L.), spotted, referring to white spot at dorsal-fin origin [originally spelled albimaculata; emended to agree with neuter gender of Ariosoma]

Ariosoma anago (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) Japanese for conger eel (described from Nagasaki, Japan)

Ariosoma anagoides (Bleeker 1853) -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to its similarity to A. anago, which Bleeker initially thought this species might be

Ariosoma anale (Poey 1860) Latin for anal, probably referring to the comparatively posterior position of its anus (at or slightly behind midlength) compared with congeners

Ariosoma balearicum (Delaroche 1809) –icum (L.), belonging to: Balearic Islands, Spain, Mediterranean Sea, type locality

Ariosoma bauchotae Karrer 1982 in honor of Marie-Louise Bauchot (b. 1928), ichthyologist and assistant manager, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), for her many years of assistance

Ariosoma bengalense Ray, Acharya, Khatua, Roy, Mohapatra & Mishra 2022 –ense, neuter of –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bay of Bengal, India, type locality

Ariosoma bowersi (Jenkins 1903) in honor of American politician George M. Bowers (1863–1925), U.S. Commissionar of Fish and Fisheries, whose steamer Albatross collected holotype [treated as a junior synonym of A. marginatum by some workers]

Ariosoma coquettei Smith & Kanazawa 1977 in honor of the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries research vessel Coquette, from which holotype was collected

Ariosoma dolichopterum Karmovskaya 2015 long-finned, from dolichós (Gr. δολιχός), long, and pterum, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to its long pectoral fin (39–48% of HL), longer than that of the related A. anago

Ariosoma emmae Smith & Ho 2018 in honor of Emma S. Karmovskaya (b. 1937), P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, for her “great” contribution to our knowledge of congrid eels

Ariosoma fasciatum (Günther 1872) Latin for banded, referring to brown cross bands on body

Ariosoma gilberti (Ogilby 1898) in honor of American ichthyologist Charles H. Gilbert (1859–1928), who reported this species as A. balearicum in 1891 but noted variations in his specimens

Ariosoma gnanadossi Talwar & Mukherjee 1977 in honor of D. A. S. Gnanadoss, Deputy Director, Central Institute of Fisheries Operatives, Madras Unit, whose fishing trawler collected holotype

Ariosoma gracile Kodeeswaran, Kathirvelpandian, Mohapatra, Kumar & Sarkar 2024 Latin for slender, referring to its body shape

Ariosoma hemiaspidus (Wade 1946) hemi-, from hḗmisys (Gr. ἥμισυς), half; aspídos (Gr. ἀσπίδος), genitive of aspís (ἀσπίς), shield, referring to inferior edge of labial canal expanded into a broad shield or wing-like plate

Ariosoma howensis (McCulloch & Waite 1916) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lord Howe Island, southwest Pacific, type locality

Ariosoma indicum Kodeeswaran, Kathirvelpandian, Acharya, Mohanty, Mohapatra, Kumar & Lal 2022 –icum (L.), belonging to: India, referring to its occurrence off the Indian coast

Ariosoma kannani Kodeeswaran, Kathirvelpandian, Ray, Kumar, Mohapatra & Sarkar 2024 in honor of the late Lakshmanan Kannan, Former Director, CAS (Centre of Advanced Study) in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, and Former Vice Chancellor, Thiruvalluvar University, for his contribution to marine science

Ariosoma kapala (Castle 1990) named for the New South Wales fisheries research vessel Kapala, from which holotype was collected

Ariosoma majus (Asano 1958) Latin for greater, proposed as a larger subspecies of A. shiroconger [often known as A. major; correct spelling agrees with the neuter Ariosoma]

Ariosoma marginatum (Vaillant & Sauvage 1875) Latin for bordered or edged, referring to very thin black border along dorsal fin and upper lobe of caudal fin

Ariosoma mauritianum (Pappenheim 1914) –anum (L.), belonging to: Mauritius (Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean), type locality

Ariosoma maurostigma Kodeeswaran, Mohapatra, Dhinakaran, Kumar & Lal 2022 maurós (Gr. μαυρός), dark; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, referring to black dark mark on posterodorsal margin of eyes

Ariosoma meeki (Jordan & Snyder 1900) in honor of American ichthyologist Seth Eugene Meek (1859–1914), who first recognized the distinctiveness of this species

Ariosoma megalops Fowler 1938 mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eye, which “greatly exceeds snout or interorbital”

Ariosoma melanospilos Kodeeswaran, Jayakumar, Akash, Kumar & Lal 2021 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; spílos (Gr. σπίλος), mark or spot, referring to four black spots on mid-dorsal temporal region

Ariosoma mellissii (Günther 1870) in honor of John Charles Melliss (1835–1911), amateur naturalist and government surveyor on St. Helena (island in the South Atlantic), who presented holotype to the British Museum (Natural History)

Ariosoma multivertebratum Karmovskaya 2004 multi– (L.), many; neuter adjectival form of vertebra (L.), i.e., “with many vertebrae,” the most (183–189) among congeners known at the time

Ariosoma nigrimanus Norman 1939 niger (L.), dark or black; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its “wholly dusky or blackish” pectoral fins [sometimes declined as an adjective, nigromanum]

Ariosoma obud Herre 1923 Visayan (referring to several ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines) name for conger eels

Ariosoma ophidiophthalmus Karmovskaya 1991 óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent; idio-, from –oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to oval (and presumably snake-like) shape of vertical pupil

Ariosoma opistophthalmum (Ranzani 1839) rear-eyed, from ópisthen (Gr. ὄπισθεν), behind, and ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to eye positioned behind mouth [sometimes dated to 1840, but a separate was apparently published in 1839]

Ariosoma sanzoi (D’Ancona 1928) in honor of Italian marine biologist Luigi Sanzo (1874–1940), who collected holotype and the other Red Sea leptocephali featured in D’Ancona’s monograph

Ariosoma sazonovi Karmovskaya 2004 in honor of the late Yuri I. Sazonov (1950–2002), curator of ichthyology, Zoological Museum, Moscow State University, “an outstanding Russian ichthyologist and fine person, our friend and colleague”

Ariosoma scheelei (Strömman 1896) in honor of the late Capt. George von Schéele, seaman and amateur naturalist, who collected holotype

Ariosoma selenops Reid 1934 selḗnē (Gr. σελήνῃ), moon; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eyes, around same size as snout, with conspicuous adipose membrane partly concealing the orbital rim

Ariosoma sereti Karmovskaya 2004 in honor of French ichthyologist Bernard Séret (b. 1949), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), for “significant” contributions to the study and collection of deepwater fishes, and for giving Karmovskaya the opportunity to study his material on eels

Ariosoma shiroanago (Asano 1958) shiro and anago, Japanese for white and conger eel, respectively (although Asano described color in formalin as “pale brown above, paler below” with “pale” fins)

Ariosoma sokotranum Karmovskaya 1991 –anum (L.), belonging to: Sokotra Island, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Bathymyrus Alcock 1889 bathýs (Gr. βαθύς), deep, referring to capture of B. echinorhynchus at 124 m; myrus, with a “Myrine” (i.e., moray-like) tail

Bathymyrus echinorhynchus Alcock 1889 echí̄nos (Gr. ἐχῖνος), hedgehog, sea-urchin or, metaphorically, having sharp points (i.e., prickly)’ rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to urchin-like “boss of bone” at tip of snout, “formed apparently by an expansion of the premaxillaries, covered with teeth”

Bathymyrus simus Smith 1965 Latin for flat- or pug-nosed, referring to shape of rostral process

Bathymyrus smithi Castle 1968 in honor of the late J. L. B. Smith (1897– 1968), South African ichthyologist-chemist, for his “monumental works” on the fishes of the Mozambique area and “valuable study” of the genus Bathymyrus

Chiloconger Myers & Wade 1941 cheí̄los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to flange of upper lip of C. labiatus (=dentatus) developed into a short, broadly rounded flap; conger, a conger eel

Chiloconger dentatus (Garman 1899) Latin for toothed, referring to pair of large hooked canines on upper jaw and similar pair on front of lower jaw of leptocephalus

Chiloconger philippinensis Smith & Karmovskaya 2003 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Philippines (southwest of Luzon Island), type locality

Kenyaconger Smith & Karmovskaya 2003 a conger eel from Kenya, off whose coast holotype was collected

Kenyaconger heemstrai Smith & Karmovskaya 2003 in honor of American-born South African ichthyologist Phillip C. Heemstra (1941–2019), Rhodes University (Grahamstown), who collected holotype, for his many contributions to the knowledge of fishes of the western Indian Ocean

Parabathymyrus Kamohara 1938 pará (Gr. παρά), near, allusion not explained, presumably referring to its close similarity to Bathymyrus

Parabathymyrus brachyrhynchus (Fowler 1934) short-snouted, from brachýs (Gr. βραχύς), short, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its much shorter and more obtuse muzzle compared with Ariosoma obud, its presumed congener at the time

Parabathymyrus fijiensis Karmovskaya 2004 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Fiji Archipelago, only known area of occurrence

Parabathymyrus karrerae Karmovskaya 1991 in honor of German ichthyologist Christine Karrer, for her contribution to the study of anguilliform fishes

Parabathymyrus macrophthalmus Kamohara 1938 big-eyed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós ( Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its very large eyes

Parabathymyrus oregoni Smith & Kanazawa 1977 in honor of the National Marine Fisheries Service research vessel Oregon, from which holotype was collected

Parabathymyrus philippinensis Ho, Smith & Shao 2015 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place, Philippines, type locality

Paraconger Kanazawa 1961 pará (Gr. παρά), near, referring to similar appearance to Conger

Paraconger californiensis Kanazawa 1961 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of California (40 km southeast of Bahia Topolobampo, Mexico), type locality

Paraconger caudilimbatus (Poey 1867) cauda (L.), tail; limbatus (L.), bordered, referring to very thin black border at its caudal extremity

Paraconger guianensis Kanazawa 1961 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: French Guiana, type locality

Paraconger macrops (Günther 1870) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its “very large” eye, equal in length to snout and 2/11 length of head

Paraconger notialis Kanazawa 1961 Latin for southern, presumably referring to its being the most southern Paraconger in the eastern Atlantic (off coast of Africa from Senegal to Angola)

Paraconger ophichthys (Garman 1899) óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish, allusion not evident (described from a leptocephalus)

Paraconger similis (Wade 1946) Latin for like or resembling, referring to its similarity to Chiloconger labiatus (=dentatus)

Rostroconger Smith 2018 rostro-, from rostrum (L.), snout, referring to acute bony projection at tip of snout; conger, a conger eel

Rostroconger macrouriceps Smith 2018 macrouri-, from Macrouridae, a family of gadiform fishes; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to macrourid-like appearance of bony rostrum at tip of snout