Revised 6 Nov. 2023
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Congresox Gill 1890 combination of Conger and esox, a Latinized Gaulish word for a large fish from the Rhine, possibly originally applied to a salmon, now applied to pikes, i.e., a conger-like eel with a pike-like form (see Muraenesox)

Congresox talabon (Cuvier 1829) Tala Bon, Telugu (an Indo-Aryan language) vernacular for this eel as reported in Russell’s Descriptions and figures of two hundred fishes; collected at Vizagapatam on the coast of Coromandel (1803); Cuvier’s apparent misspelling (talabou) would be used but the correct subsequent spelling is in prevailing usage

Congresox talabonoides (Bleeker 1852) -oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to similarity to C. talabon

Cynoponticus Costa 1845 cyno-, from kynós (Gr. κυνός), genitive of kýōn (κύων), dog; pontus (L.), from póntos (Gr. πόντος), sea; –icus (L.), belonging to, literally “sea dog,” probably referring to the ferocious appearance of C. ferox, with a “large mouth armed … with feral teeth” (translation) [although Cynoponticus and its type species C. ferox were described in the same publication, the pages were issued in sets that were sold separately, often in neither systematic nor chronological order; the genus dates to 1845 whereas the species dates to 1846]

Cynoponticus coniceps (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) conus (L.), from kṓnos (Gr. κῶνος), cone; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its slender, conical snout

Cynoponticus ferox Costa 1846 Latin for fierce, probably referring to its ferocious appearance, with a “large mouth armed … with feral teeth” (translation)

Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft 1831) from savanne, vernacular for this eel in Martinique (Cuvier coined the name without a description in 1829)

Muraenesox McClelland 1844 muraena (L.), from mýraina (Gr. μύραινα), Greek name of Muraena helena and precursor to “moray” but likely used here as a general term for eel; esox, a Latinized Gaulish word for a large fish from the Rhine, possibly originally applied to a salmon, now applied to pikes, “of both which the proposed genus partakes in form,” presumably referring to its eel-like body and pike-like long, narrow jaws with prominent teeth

Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton 1822) Bengali vernacular for this species

Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål 1775) Latin for ash-colored or gray, referring to its gray coloration

Oxyconger Bleeker 1864 in honor of German naturalist Johann Jacob Kaup (1803–1873), for his work on apodal fishes; ichthyos (Gr.), fish

Oxyconger leptognathus (Bleeker 1858) leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin or sender; gnathus, from gnáthos (Gr. γνάθος), referring to thin jaws that form a much-produced snout

Sauromuraenesox Alcock 1889 sauros (Gr.), from saúra (Gr. σαύρα), lizard, i.e., a Muraenesox with a general body form “much like that of a chameleon,” e.g., with a high-arched back tapering to a low tail

Sauromuraenesox vorax Alcock 1889 Latin for gluttonous, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its sharp and enlarged teeth