The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family
Congridae
The Congridae are the family of conger and garden eels. Congers are valuable and often large food fishes, while garden eels live in colonies, all protruding from the sea floor after the manner of plants in a garden (thus the name). The family i ...
. The majority of garden eels live in the
Indo-Pacific, but species are also found in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean (including the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
) and East Pacific.
These small
eels
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from their practice of poking their heads from their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. Since they tend to live in groups, the many eel heads "growing" from the sea floor resemble the plants in a garden. They vary greatly in colour depending on the exact species involved. The largest species reaches about in length, but most species do not surpass .
[ Garden eel colonies can grow as large as one acre in surface area.]
Species
Based on FishBase, about 10 species of garden eels are in two genera:Gorgasia
''Gorgasia'' is one of the two genera that belong to the subfamily ''Heterocongrinae'' (common name: garden eels). This genus is classified by the behavioral pattern of burrowing 75% of their bodies in the sandy substrate they live in and protrud ...
''
** B. H. Robison & Lancraft, 1984
** ''Gorgasia cotroneii
''Gorgasia cotroneii'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[''Gorgasia ...](_blank)
'' ( D'Ancona, 1928)
** Galzin's garden eel, ''Gorgasia galzini'' Castle & Randall, 1999
** Hawaiian garden eel
The Hawaiian garden eel (''Gorgasia hawaiiensis'') is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...](_blank)
, 1980
** ''Gorgasia inferomaculata
''Gorgasia inferomaculata'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[Blache, 1977)
** ](_blank)Pacific spaghetti eel
The Pacific spaghetti eel (''Gorgasia japonica'') is a sand dwelling eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). , ''Gorgasia japonica'' T. Abe, Miki & Asai, 1977
** Klausewitz's garden eel
The Klausewitz's garden eel (''Gorgasia klausewitzi'') is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[Quéro & ](_blank)Saldanha Saldanha may refer to:
Places South Africa
* Saldanha Bay, a bay in Western Cape
* Saldanha, Western Cape, a town on the bay
* Saldanha Bay Local Municipality, the unit of government that administers the Saldanha Bay region
Other countries
* Sal ...
, 1995
** Whitespotted garden eel
The whitespotted garden eel (''Gorgasia maculata''), also known as the Indian spaghetti eel, , ''Gorgasia maculata'' Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1959
** Freckled garden eel
''Gorgasia naeocepaea'', the freckled garden eel,J. E. Böhlke, 1951)
** Splendid garden eel
''Gorgasia preclara'', the splendid garden eel or orange-barred garden eel, is a species of marine garden eel.
Description
The splendid garden eel is a medium-sized fish, up to 40 cm maximum length.
Its body has a circular shape with a di ...
, ''Gorgasia preclara'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** Dotted garden eel, ''Gorgasia punctata'' Meek
Meekness is an attribute of human nature and behavior that has been defined as an amalgam of righteousness, inner humility, and patience.
Meekness has been contrasted with humility alone insomuch as humility simply refers to an attitude towards o ...
& Hildebrand
Hildebrand is a character from Germanic heroic legend. ''Hildebrand'' is the modern German form of the name: in Old High German it is ''Hiltibrant'' and in Old Norse ''Hildibrandr''. The word ''hild'' means "battle" and ''brand'' means "sword". ...
, 1923
** '' Gorgasia sillneri'' Klausewitz, 1962
** Sharp-nose garden eel
The sharp-nose garden eelK. T. Shao, 1990
** ''Gorgasia thamani
''Gorgasia thamani'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[''Gorgasia thamani ...](_blank)
'' D. W. Greenfield & Niesz, 2004
* ''Heteroconger
''Heteroconger'' is a genus of marine congrid eels. These small, slender garden eels live in groups where each individual has its own burrow. Usually, only the head and front half of the body is visible. The greatest species richness is in the ...
''
** '' Heteroconger balteatus'' Castle & Randall, 1999
** ''Heteroconger camelopardalis
''Heteroconger camelopardalis'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[Lubbock
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...](_blank)
, 1980)
** White-ring garden eel, ''Heteroconger canabus'' ( G. I. McT. Cowan & Rosenblatt Rosenblatt is a surname of German and Jewish origin, meaning "rose leaf". People with this surname include:
* Albert Rosenblatt (born 1936), New York Court of Appeals judge
* Dana Rosenblatt, known as "Dangerous" (born 1972), American boxer
* Elie ...
, 1974)
** ''Heteroconger chapmani
''Heteroconger chapmani'' is an eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early l ...
'' ( Herre, 1923)
** Cobra garden eel, ''Heteroconger cobra'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** ''Heteroconger congroides
''Heteroconger congroides'' is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels).[D'Ancona, 1928)
** Pale green eel, ''Heteroconger digueti'' ( Pellegrin, 1923)
** Enigma garden eel Castle & Randall, 1999
** ](_blank)Spotted garden eel
The spotted garden eel (''Heteroconger hassi'') is a heteroconger belonging to the family Congridae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific.
Description
The spotted garden eel is a small fish that can reach a maximum length of . Its body is anguiform ...
, ''Heteroconger hassi'' (Klausewitz & Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1959)
** Galapagos garden eel, ''Heteroconger klausewitzi'' (Eibl-Eibesfeldt & Köster, 1983)
** Masked garden eel, ''Heteroconger lentiginosus'' J. E. Böhlke & Randall, 1981
** Brown garden eel
The brown garden eel (''Heteroconger longissimus''), also known simply as the garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). , ''Heteroconger longissimus'' Günther, 1870
** Yellow garden eel, ''Heteroconger luteolus'' D. G. Smith, 1989
**