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Leptocephalus (genus)

Genus of fishes

Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali. Leptocephali larvae differ so much in appearance from their adults. When first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fish, not an eel species. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for an unidentified leptocephali. After it was known that these were eel larvae, it was identified to be part of a wastebasket taxon, but not anymore in the present classification system. 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 families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.

Species

There are 16 families of Leptocephalus organisms that include over 70 species. They are broken down according to the species that they contain. If the species has a common name or English name, it is written after a dash. A common name can belong to many species.

Family Anguillidae

Leptocephalus brevirostris Kaup, 1856 – European eel

Leptocephalus grassii Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – American eel

Family Chlopsidae

Leptocephalus hyoproroides Strömman, 1896 (valid as Kaupichthys hyoproroides)

Family Congridae

Leptocephalus affinis Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus candidissimus Costa, 1832 – European conger

Leptocephalus capensis Kaup, 1856 (valid as Gnathophis capensis) – Southern Atlantic conger

Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus, 1758) – European conger

Leptocephalus congroides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Heteroconger congroides)

Leptocephalus cotroneii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gorgasia cotroneii)

Leptocephalus dentex Collett, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum)

Leptocephalus eckmani Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus ectenurus Jordan & Richardson, 1909 (valid as Rhynchoconger ectenurus)

Leptocephalus erebennus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Conger erebennus)

Leptocephalus flavirostris Snyder, 1908 (valid as Ariosoma anago)

Leptocephalus gussoni Cocco, 1829 – European conger

Leptocephalus inaequalis Facciolà, 1883 – European conger

Leptocephalus inferomaculatus Blache, 1977 (valid as Gorgasia inferomaculata)

Leptocephalus inornatus Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus lineatus Bonnaterre, 1788 – European conger

Leptocephalus macrenteron D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum)

Leptocephalus maculatus Della Croce & Castle, 1966 (valid as Heteroconger hassi) – spotted garden eel

Leptocephalus marginatus Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus mauritianus Pappenheim, 1914 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum) – blunt tooth conger

Leptocephalus microphthalmus Beebe & Tee-Van, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus morrisii Gmelin, 1789 – European conger

Leptocephalus nystromi Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Gnathophis nystromi)

Leptocephalus orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1837) (valid as Conger orbignianus) – Argentine conger

Leptocephalus pellucidus (Couch, 1832) – European conger

Leptocephalus retrotinctus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Bathycongrus retrotinctus) – blackedge conger

Leptocephalus rex Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus sanzoi D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma sanzoi)

Leptocephalus scheelei Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma scheelei) – tropical conger

Leptocephalus spallanzani Risso, 1810 – European conger

Leptocephalus splendens (Lea, 1913) (valid as Pseudophichthys splendens) – purple-mouthed conger

Leptocephalus stenops Kaup, 1856 – European conger

Leptocephalus taenia Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger

Leptocephalus trilineatus Castle, 1964 (valid as Bathycongrus trilineatus)

Leptocephalus vitreus Kölliker, 1853 – European conger

Leptocephalus wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (valid as Conger wilsoni) – cape conger

Family Cyprinidae

Leptocephalus mongolicus Basilewsky, 1855 – Mongolian redfin

Family Derichthyidae

Leptocephalus ingolfianus Schmidt, 1912 – duckbill oceanic eel

Leptocephalus anguilloides Schmidt, 1916 – narrownecked oceanic eel

Family Eurypharyngidae

Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus Bertin, 1936 (valid as Eurypharynx pelecanoides Bertin, 1936) – pelican eel

Family Moringuidae

Leptocephalus diptychus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1901 (valid as Moringua edwardsi) – spaghetti eel

Leptocephalus tuberculatus Castle, 1965 – swollengut worm eel

Family Muraenesocidae

Leptocephalus arabicus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gavialiceps arabicus)

** Family Muraenidae**

Leptocephalus euryurus Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias euryurus)

Leptocephalus forsstromi Strömman, 1896 – purplemouth moray eel

Leptocephalus similis Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias similis) – pygmy moray

Family Nemichthyidae

Leptocephalus acuticeps – southern snipe eel

Leptocephalus andreae Schmidt, 1912 – slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus canaricus Lea, 1913 – slender snipe eel

Leptocephalus curvirostris Strömman, 1896 – boxer snipe eel

Leptocephalus oxycephalus Pappenheim, 1914 – avocet snipe eel

Leptocephalus polymerus Lea, 1913 – boxer snipe eel

Family Neocyematidae

Leptocephalus holti Schmidt, 1909 - (valid as Neocyema erythrosoma)

Family Nettastomatidae

Leptocephalus bellottii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Nettenchelys bellottii)

Leptocephalus lateromaculatus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Saurenchelys lateromaculata)

Leptocephalus longirostris Kaup, 1856 – blackfin sorcerer

Leptocephalus oxyrhynchus Bellotti, 1883 – Facciola's sorcerer

Leptocephalus saurencheloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Facciolella saurencheloides)

Leptocephalus stylurus Lea, 1913 – pillar wire eel

Leptocephalus urosema Lea, 1913 – blackfin sorcerer

Family Notacanthidae

Leptocephalus giganteus Castle, 1959 – giant leptocephalus

Family Ophichthidae

Leptocephalus caudomaculatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – spotted spoon-nose eel

Leptocephalus crenatus Strömman, 1896 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus echeloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ophichthus echeloides)

Leptocephalus gilberti Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – sooty eel

Leptocephalus hexastigma Regan, 1916 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus humilis Strömman, 1896 – key worm eel

Leptocephalus mollis Fowler, 1944 – speckled worm eel

Leptocephalus mucronatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – margined snake eel

Leptocephalus ophichthoides D'Ancona, 1928

Leptocephalus undulatus Strömman, 1896 (valid as Myrichthys breviceps) – sharptail snake-eel

Family Saccopharyngidae

Leptocephalus latissimus Schmidt, 1912 (valid as Saccopharynx ampullaceus)

Family Serrivomeridae

Leptocephalus lanceolatoides Schmidt, 1916 – short-tooth sawpalate

Leptocephalus lanceolatus Strömman, 1896 – Bean's sawtooth eel

Family Synaphobranchidae

Leptocephalus dolichorhynchus Lea, 1913 (valid as Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus)

Leptocephalus proboscideus Lea, 1913 (valid as Dysommina proboscideus)

Leptocephalus telescopicus Schmidt, 1913 (valid as Dysomma brevirostre) – pignosed arrowtooth eel

References

Miller, Michael J.. (2009). "Ecology of Anguilliform Leptocephali: Remarkable Transparent Fish Larvae of the Ocean Surface Layer". Aqua-BioScience Monographs 2.
"Species of ''Leptocephalus'' genus".

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