FAMILY Muraenesocidae Kaup, 1859 - pike conger eels [=Muraenesocinae, Gavialicipitinae, Sauromuraenesocidae] Notes: Muraenesocinae Kaup, 1859b:6, 19 [ref. 2586] (subfamily) Muraenesox [Fowler 1958a:3 [ref. 31840] used Muroenesocinae based on Muroenesox] Gavialicipitinae Gill, 1893b:133 [ref. 26255] (subfamily) Gavialiceps [genus inferred from the stem, Article 11.7.1.1] Sauromuraenesocidae Jordan, 1923a:130 [ref. 2421] (family) Sauromuraenesox GENUS Congresox Gill, 1890 - pike congers [=Congresox Gill [T. N.], 1890:234] Notes: [ref. 1733]. Masc. Conger talabon Cuvier, 1829. Type by original designation (also monotypic). Valid as Congresox Gill, 1890 -- (Castle & Williamson 1975:2 [ref. 7115], Smith 1989:434 [ref. 13285], Ataur Rahman 1989:48 [ref. 24860], Smith 1999:1673 [ref. 24661], Ataur Rahman 2003:63 [ref. 31338], Kottelat 2013:48 [ref. 32989]). Current status: Valid as Congresox Gill, 1890. Muraenesocidae. Species Congresox talabon (Cuvier, 1829) - yellow pike conger [=Conger talabon Cuvier [G.], 1829:350, Muraenesox exodentata McClelland [J.], 1844:180, 203, 210, Pl. 8 (fig. 4), Muraenesox lanceolata McClelland [J.], 1844:181, 210, Muraenesox serradentata McClelland [J.], 1843:409] Notes: [Le Règne Animal (Edition 2) v. 2; ref. 995] Vizagapatnam, India. Current status: Valid as Congresox talabon (Cuvier, 1829). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Habitat: brackish, marine. (exodentata) [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Bay of Bengal near the islands on the Arracan coast. Current status: Synonym of Congresox talabon (Cuvier, 1829). Muraenesocidae. (lanceolata) [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Bengal, India. Current status: Synonym of Congresox talabon (Cuvier, 1829). Muraenesocidae. (serradentata) [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 4 (no. 4); ref. 2927] Bengal, India. Current status: Synonym of Congresox talaban Cuvier, 1829. Muraenesocidae.
Species Congresox talabonoides (Bleeker, 1852) - Indian putyekanipa, Indian pike conger [=Conger talabonoides Bleeker [P.], 1852:20, Muraenesox pristis Kaup [J. J.], 1856:74] Notes: [Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen. v. 25 (art. 5); ref. 339] Jakarta, Java, Indonesia. Current status: Valid as Congresox talabonoides (Bleeker, 1852). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific: East Africa to Philippines, north to Taiwan. Habitat: brackish, marine. (pristis) [Archiv für Naturgeschichte v. 22 (no. 1); ref. 2572] Asia. Current status: Synonym of Congresox talabonoides (Bleeker, 1852). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. GENUS Cynoponticus Costa, 1845 - pike congers [=Cynoponticus Costa [O. G.], 1845:1, Brachyconger Bleeker [P.], 1864:116, Cheiromuroenesox Fowler [H. W.], 1944:60, 187, Phyllogramma Pellegrin [J.], 1934:46] Notes: [ref. 976]. Masc. Cynoponticus ferox Costa, 1846. Type by subsequent monotypy. On p. 1 of "Genre Cinopontico," with species named on p. 10 of same section; pp. 1-8 published 6 Nov. 1845, pp. 9-12 in 1846. Valid as Cynoponticus Costa, 1845 -- (Blache et al. 1973:235 [ref. 7185], Castle & Williamson 1975:2 [ref. 7115], Bauchot & Saldanha in Whitehead et al. 1986:559 [ref. 13676], Smith 1989:436 [ref. 13285], Smith 1999:1673 [ref. 24661] as Cynopticus, Smith 2003:738 [ref. 26989]). Current status: Valid as Cynoponticus Costa, 1845. Muraenesocidae. (Brachyconger) [ref. 409]. Masc. Conger savanna Bancroft, 1831. Type by original designation (also monotypic). Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845 -- (Smith 1989:436 [ref. 13285]). Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845. Muraenesocidae. (Cheiromuroenesox) [ref. 1448]. Masc. Muraenesox coniceps Jordan & Gilbert, 1882. Type by original designation (also monotypic). Apparently above is correct original spelling, not Cheiromuraenesox. Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845 -- (Smith 1989:437 [ref. 13285]). Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845. Muraenesocidae. (Phyllogramma) [ref. 3414]. Fem. Phyllogramma regani Pellegrin, 1934. Type by monotypy. The genus is feminine, not neuter; name referes to the special condition of the lateral line (with flower-like elements). Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845 -- (Blache et al. 1973:235 [ref. 7185], Smith 1989:437 [ref. 13285]). Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus Costa, 1845. Muraenesocidae.
Species Cynoponticus coniceps (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882) - red pike conger [=Muraenesox coniceps Jordan [D. S.] & Gilbert [C. H.], 1882:348] Notes: [Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 4 (no. 237); ref. 2470] Mazatlán, Sinaloa, western Mexico. Current status: Valid as Cynoponticus coniceps (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Eastern Pacific. Species Cynoponticus ferox Costa, 1846 - Guinea pike conger [=Cynoponticus ferox Costa [O. G.], 1846:Cynoponticus p. 10, Pl. 28 (figs. 1-6), Muraena myrus Gronow [L. T.], in Gray, 1854:20, Phyllogramma regani Pellegrin [J.], 1934:47, Fig. 2] Notes: [Fauna del regno di Napoli Part 1; ref. 976] Ischia Island, Gulf of Naples, Italy, western Mediterranean Sea. Current status: Valid as Cynoponticus ferox Costa, 1846. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, eastern Atlantic: Gibraltar south to Angola. (myrus) [Catalogue of fish collected and described by Laurence Theodore Gronow; ref. 1911] Mediterranean Sea. Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus ferox (Costa, 1850). Muraenesocidae. (regani) [Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France v. 59; ref. 3414] Port Etienne, Mauritania. Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus ferox Costa, 1846. Muraenesocidae. Species Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft, 1831) - sapphire eel [=Conger savanna Bancroft [E. N.], 1831:135, Conger brasiliensis Ranzani [C.], 1839:79 [15], Pl. 13 (figs. 1a-b), Conger limbatus Castelnau [F. L.], 1855:83, Pl. 43 (fig. 3)] Notes: [Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1830-31 (pt 1); ref. 15966] Jamaica. Current status: Valid as Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft, 1831). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Western Atlantic. Habitat: brackish, marine. (brasiliensis) [Novi Commentarii Academiae Scientiarum Instituti Bononiensis v. 4 [1840]; ref. 18606] Brazil.
Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft, 1831). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. (limbatus) [Animaux nouveaux or rares v. 2; ref. 766] Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Current status: Synonym of Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft, 1831). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. GENUS Gavialiceps Alcock, 1889 - pike congers [=Gavialiceps Alcock [A. W.] (ex Wood-Mason), 1889:460] Notes: [ref. 20525]. Neut. Gavialiceps taeniola Alcock, 1889. Type by subsequent designation. Described first with 2 included species. Alcock (1891:137 [ref. 87]) says taeniola is not a Gavialiceps, but does not technically fix the type of Gavialiceps as microps. Type selected by Gilbert 1905:586 [ref. 1631]. See Tighe 1989:617 [ref. 13291]. Gavialichthys Golvan, 1962 is a nomen nudum that Whtiley 1970:243 [ref. 6601] regards as a lapsus calami for Gavialiceps Alcock. Valid as Gavialiceps Alcock, 1889 -- (Karrer 1982:52 [ref. 5679], Machida in Masuda et al. 1984:29 [ref. 6441], Karmovskaya 1993:742 [ref. 22018], Smith 1999:1683 [ref. 24661] in Congridae, Hoese & Gates 2006:293 [ref. 28997] in Congridae, Ho et al. 2010:25 [ref. 31218], Zhang et al. 2010:300 [ref. 31511]). Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps Alcock, 1889. Muraenesocidae. Species Gavialiceps arabicus (D'Ancona, 1928) - Aden pike conger (author) [=Leptocephalus arabicus D'Ancona [U.], 1928:51, Pl. 3 (figs. 9-9a)] Notes: [Memoria, Comitato Talassografico Italiano No. 146; ref. 15917] Gulf of Aden, near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, 12 05'N, 44 47'E, depth 582 meters. Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps arabicus (D'Ancona, 1928). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Western Indian Ocean. Species Gavialiceps bertelseni Karmovskaya, 1993 - Emma's pike conger (author) [=Gavialiceps bertelseni Karmovskaya [E. S.], 1993:750 [85]] Notes: [Voprosy Ikhtiologii v. 33 (no. 6); ref. 22018] Southwestern Indian Ocean, 21 26'S, 43 01'E, depth 810-1200 meters. Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps bertelseni Karmovskaya, 1993. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Southwestern Indian Ocean.
Species Gavialiceps javanicus Karmovskaya, 1993 - duckbill conger [=Gavialiceps javanicus Karmovskaya [E. S.], 1993:750 [86]] Notes: [Voprosy Ikhtiologii v. 33 (no. 6); ref. 22018] Southeastern Indian Ocean, 8 30'S, 111 55'E, depth 560-600 meters. Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps javanicus Karmovskaya, 1993. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Species Gavialiceps taeniola Alcock, 1889 - deepsea pike conger (author) [=Gavialiceps taeniola Alcock [A. W.], (ex Wood-Mason), 1889:460 [36]] Notes: [Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 6) v. 4 (no. 24); ref. 20525] Arakan coast, Myanmar, 19 35'N, 92 24'E, depth 272 fathoms; Andaman Sea southeast by south of Ross Island. Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps taeniola Alcock, 1889. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific. Species Gavialiceps taiwanensis (Chen & Weng, 1967) - Taiwan pike conger (author) [=Chlopsis taiwanensis Chen [J. T. F.] & Weng [H. T. C.], 1967:81, Fig. 61] Notes: [Biological Bulletin Tunghai University Ichthyology Series Number 6 No. 32; ref. 7952] Tungkang, southwestern Taiwan. Current status: Valid as Gavialiceps taiwanensis (Chen & Weng, 1967). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Western Pacific. GENUS Muraenesox McClelland, 1844 - pike congers [=Muraenesox McClelland [J.], 1844:408] Notes: [ref. 2927]. Masc. Muraenesox tricuspidata McClelland, 1844. Type by subsequent designation. Muraenosix tricuspidata given as type by Jordan 1919:220 [ref. 2410]. Also in McClelland 1844:210 [ref. 2928]. Valid as Muraenesox McClelland, 1844 -- (Castle & Williamson
1975 [ref. 7115], Asano in Masuda et al. 1984:29 [ref. 6441], Bauchot & Saldanha in Whitehead et al. 1986:560 [ref. 13676], Castle 1986:188 [ref. 5644], Paxton et al. 1989:145 [ref. 12442], Smith 1989:436 [ref. 13285], Ataur Rahman 1989:46 [ref. 24860], Smith 1999:1673 [ref. 24661], Ataur Rahman 2003:61 [ref. 31338], Paxton et al. 2006:282 [ref. 28995], Fricke et al. 2009:21 [ref. 30213], Zhang et al. 2010:290 [ref. 31511], Kottelat 2013:48 [ref. 32989]). Current status: Valid as Muraenesox McClelland, 1844. Muraenesocidae. Species Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton, 1822) - common pike conger [=Muraena bagio Hamilton [F.], 1822:24, 364, Conger moniliger Bleeker [P.], 1864:124, Muraenesox yamaguchiensis Katayama [M.] & Takai [T.], 1954:97, Figs. 1-2]] Notes: [An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges; ref. 2031] Ganges River estuaries, India. Current status: Valid as Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton, 1822). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Durban (South Africa), East Africa, Madagascar and western Mascarenes east to Samoa, north to southern Yellow Sea, south to Western Australia at 27 42'S, New South Wales (Australia) at 34 53'S and New Caledonia. Habitat: brackish, marine. (moniliger) [Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde v. 2; ref. 13923] Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton, 1822). Muraenesocidae. (yamaguchiensis) [Japanese Journal of Ichthyology v. 3; ref. 12653] Kudamatsu fish market, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox bagio (Hamilton, 1822). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. Species Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775) - conger pike, daggertooth pike conger [=Muraena cinerea Forsskål [P. S.], 1775:22, x, Congrus angustidens Richardson [J.], 1848:110, Muraena arabica Bloch [M. E.] & Schneider [J. G.], 1801:488, Muraenesox bengalensis McClelland [J.], 1844:182, Congrus brevicuspis Richardson [J.], 1848:111, Conger hamo Temminck [C. J.] & Schlegel [H.], 1846:262, Pl. 114 (fig. 2), Conger longirostris Anonymous [Bennett [E. T.]], 1830:692, Conger oxyrhynchus Eydoux [J. F. T.] & Souleyet [F. A.], 1850:203, Pl. 9 (fig. 2),
Congrus protervus Richardson [J.], 1848:110, Ophisurus rostratus Quoy [J. R. C.] & Gaimard [J. P.], 1824:242, Pl. 51 (fig. 1), Conger singaporensis Bleeker [P.], 1852:21, Muraenesox tricuspidata McClelland [J.], 1844:409] Notes: [Descriptiones animalium (Forsskål); ref. 1351] Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea. Current status: Valid as Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Red Sea, Indo-West Pacific: East Africa east to Mariana Islands, north to China, south to northern Australia; Mediterranean Sea (Red Sea immigrant). Habitat: freshwater, brackish, marine. (angustidens) [Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror v. 2 (2); ref. 3740] China. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: freshwater, brackish, marine. (arabica) [M. E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae; ref. 471] Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: freshwater, brackish, marine. (bengalensis) [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Bengal, India. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus McClelland, 1844. Muraenesocidae. (brevicuspis) [Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror v. 2 (2); ref. 3740] No locality. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (hamo) [Fauna Japonica Parts 10-14; ref. 4374] Southwestern coast of Japan. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (longirostris) [Memoir of the life and public services of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles; ref. 259] Sumatra, Indonesia. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (oxyrhynchus) [Voyage autour du monde; ref. 4501] Macao, China. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. (protervus) [Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror v. 2 (2); ref. 3740] Locality unknown. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (rostratus) [Voyage autour du monde; ref. 3574] Rawak Island, Bismarck Archipelago. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (singaporensis) [Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen. v. 25 (art. 5); ref. 339] Jakarta, Java,
Indonesia; Singapore. Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. (tricuspidata) [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 4 (for 1843); ref. 2927] Current status: Synonym of Muraenesox cinereus (Forsskål, 1775). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: freshwater, brackish, marine. Species Muraenesox hamiltonii McClelland, 1844 - Bengal pike conger (author) [=Muraenesox hamiltonii McClelland [J.], 1844:182, 203, 210, Pl. 8 (fig. 3)] Notes: [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Bengal, India. Current status: Valid as Muraenesox hamiltonii McClelland, 1844. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: India. GENUS Oxyconger Bleeker, 1864 - pike congers [=Oxyconger Bleeker [P.], 1864:19] Notes: [ref. 4860]. Masc. Conger leptognathus Bleeker, 1858. Type by original designation (also monotypic). Bleeker 1864:19 published 21 Sept. 1864, also in Bleeker 1865:116 [ref. 409]. Valid as Oxyconger Bleeker, 1864 -- (Asano in Masuda et al. 1984:29 [ref. 6441], Paxton et al. 1989:145 [ref. 12442], Smith 1989:434 [ref. 13285], Smith 1999:1673 [ref. 24661], Paxton et al. 2006:283 [ref. 28995], Zhang et al. 2010:298 [ref. 31511]). Current status: Valid as Oxyconger Bleeker, 1864. Muraenesocidae. Species Oxyconger leptognathus (Bleeker, 1858) - shorttail pike conger [=Conger leptognathus Bleeker [P.], 1858:27, Pl. 2 (fig. 2)] Notes: [v. 3 (art. 10); ref. 360] Nagasaki, Japan. Current status: Valid as Oxyconger leptognathus (Bleeker, 1858). Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Western Pacific, antitropical. GENUS Sauromuraenesox Alcock, 1889 - pike congers [=Sauromuraenesox Alcock [A. W.], 1889:457]
Notes: [ref. 20525]. Masc. Sauromuraenesox vorax Alcock, 1889. Type by monotypy. Misspelled Sauromuraenesax in Zoological Record for 1889. Valid as Sauromuraenesox Alcock, 1889 -- (Talwar 1977 [ref. 6954], Smith 1999:1673 [ref. 24661] as Sauromurenesox). Current status: Valid as Sauromuraenesox Alcock, 1889. Muraenesocidae. Species Sauromuraenesox vorax Alcock, 1889 - Bengal pike-conger (author) [=Sauromuraenesox vorax Alcock [A. W.], 1889:458 [34]] Notes: [Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 6) v. 4 (no. 24); ref. 20525] Bay of Bengal, 20 17'30"N, 88 51'E, Investigator station 14, depth 193 fathoms. Current status: Valid as Sauromuraenesox vorax Alcock, 1889. Muraenesocidae. Distribution: Northern Indian Ocean. Habitat: marine ********************************************************************************** Unavailable names, uncertain taxa Muraenesox exodon McClelland [J.] 1843:409 [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 4 (no. 4); ref. 2927] Arrakan, Malay coast. No types known. Questionably a synonym of Congresox exodon (McCullamd 1844) -- (Kottelat 2013:48 [ref. 32989]). Current status: Synonym of Congresox exodon (McClelland 1844). Muraenesocidae. Congrus curvidens Richardson [J.] 1848:111 [Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror v. 2 (2); ref. 3740] Locality unknown; BMNH register says "West Indies: Caribbean Sea" which seems unlikely. Holotype (unique): BMNH 1843.2.1.14 (dry). Questionably a synonym of Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft 1831) -- (Smith 1989:437 [ref. 13285]). Current status: Uncertain as Cynoponticus savanna (Bancroft 1831). Muraenesocidae. Habitat: brackish, marine. Muraena savanna Cuvier [G.] 1829:350 [Le Règne Animal (Edition 2) v. 2; ref. 995] Not available, in footnote as, "La savanne de la Martinique (M. savanna, N.)" but no tie to a literature citation; dates to Conger savanna Bancroft 1831 -- (Smith 1989:437 [ref. 13285]). Muraenesocidae. Gavialiceps microps Alcock [A. W.] 1889:461 [37] [Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 6) v. 4 (no. 24); ref. 20525] Bay of Bengal, channel south of Andaman Islands, Investigator station 4, depth 1045 fathoms. Holotype (unique): ZSI F11662. Type catalog: Menon & Yazdani 1968:135 [ref. 20743], Menon & Rama-Rao 1975:36 [ref. 22148]. On p. 37 of separate. Muraenesocidae.
Gavialiceps tinayrei Zugmayer [E.] 1914:3 [Bulletin de l'institut Océanographique (Monaco) No. 288; ref. 4848] Off Coast of Morocco, station 3082, depth 0-4000 meters. Holotype (unique): MOM (not found in 1995). Muraenesocidae. Muraenesox aurea McClelland [J.] 1844:183 [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Vizagapatam, India. No types known. Based on Russell, Indian Fishes, no. 36. Muraenesocidae. Muraenophis bazi Hamilton [F.] in McClelland 1844:203 [Calcutta Journal of Natural History v. 5 (no. 18); ref. 2928] Not available, Hamilton name on a drawing mentioned under Muraenesox hamiltonii; originally genus as Muraeophis; from Vishakhapatnam [Vizagapatam], India. Muraenesocidae.