The freckled pike-conger (''Hoplunnis macrura''), also known as the silver conger, is an eel in the family

Nettastomatidae Nettastomatidae, the duckbill eels or witch eels are a family of eels. The name is from Greek ''netta'' meaning "duck" and ''stoma'' meaning "mouth". Duckbill eels are found along the continental slopes of tropical and temperate oceans worldwid ...

(duckbill/witch eels). It was described by

Isaac Ginsburg Isaac Ginsburg (August 9, 1886 – September 2, 1975) was a Lithuanian-born American ichthyologist.marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, and towards the mouth of the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

. It dwells at a depth range of 55–310 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 54.2 centimeters.

Diet

Silver congers eat small marine fish and benthic invertebrates, such as shrimp and crabs.

Habitat and Distribution

''Hoplunnis macrura'' tends to live in deeper waters in subtropical environments. These congers are non-burrowing organisms, nor do they live in wholes or cracks on sea floors or walls. They live in areas where the sea floor is soft. They are often found here the sea floor is soft. Adult silver congers are known to inhabit the Gulf of Mexico, western Atlantic, along the South American coast, and the Caribbean Sea. Distribution among previously stated regions: Western Atlantic – along the east coast of the United States Gulf of Mexico - from Florida Keys to Campeche, Mexico Caribbean Sea - the Honduran/Nicaraguan border South America - From Columbia to the mouth of the Amazon River off of Brazil Silver Conger larvae have been collected off the coast of Barbados, North Carolina, and the Scotian Shelf.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Silver conger eggs are pelagic. They float in the water column in order to be fertilized and develop.

Morphology

Silver congers are slender-bodied and have a light yellowish- brown appearance with tiny spots on their dorsal side and black accents on their vertical fins. They have overhanging jaws with which teeth of different sizes are visible when the mouth is closed. There is an inner and outer row of teeth in their mouths. The teeth of the bottom row tend to be larger than those on top. They have a lateral line with 32-37 lateral line pores before the anus.

Importance to Humans

There is no known importance of silver congers to humans. They are harmless, not traded, and not used by humans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2116661 Nettastomatidae Fish described in 1951