Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Actinopterygii

Order: Anguilliformes

Family: Congridae

Genus: Conger

Species: C. conger

Physical Description

Conger conger has a snake-like body, but scaleless, slightly compressed anteriorly, well compressed posteriorly to anus, the latter before midpoint of body, dorsal outline of head convex, depressed over eye. Eye is small, inter-orbital space is broad and flat. Anterior nostril an oval pore, before and near eye. Mouth rictus at level of posterior edge of eye. The snout is slightly prominent with very large labial flange. Both the jaws possess, an outer row of big incisiform teeth, forming a cutting edge and inner row of small conical and sharp teeth. The larger conical teeth on premaxilary palate and vomer.  Gill openings sublateral, crescentiform. The lateral line has 44-47 preanal pores, 6 prepectoral pore and only one supra-temporal pore. Conger conger has a coluration more or less dark grey or brown; lighter ventrally, lateral line pores marked with white dorsal and anal fins with a black margin.

Biology and Behavior

Found on rocky and sandy bottoms at depth range from 0-500 m. It stays near the coast when young and moves toward deeper waters upon reaching adulthood. It is a nocturnal predator of fish, that feeds on crustaceans, and cephalopods Like other species of this group, it reproduces only once in its life. The fish attains sexually mature at an age of 5-15 years, and can produces 3-8 million of eggs.

Habitat and Distribution

Congers leads a Benthic life on the shelf on rocky or sandy bottoms at 0-500 m. Many young, small fish can be caught in deep shore pools, particularly those with dense algal cover low down the shore. In soft-bottomed areas few congers are found, but they quickly colonize sunken wrecks, harbour walls, and loose stone groynes, and many can be caught in such man-made habitats. It can be seen in parts of Eastern North Atlantic northward to Norway, also Mediterranean and western Black Sea. Elsewhere, southward to Senegal, including the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira. Eastern Atlantic: Norway and Iceland to Senegal. Also in the Mediterranean and Black Sea.

Reference:

http://www.fao.org/fishery/species/2994/en

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/conger-conger.html