Actinopteri (ray-finned fishes) > Anguilliformes
(Eels and morays) > Muraenesocidae
Etymology: Congresox: Latin, conger = conger + Esox = old name for "pike" (Ref. 45335). More on author: Bleeker.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Marine; brackish; bathydemersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 800 - 875 m (Ref. 44037). Tropical; 26°N - 8°S, 33°E - 127°E
Indo-West Pacific: From the Red Sea to Java and Sulawesi (Ref. 9830) north to the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan (7238).
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 122 - 125 cm
Max length : 250 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7238); common length : 180 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7238)
Vertebrae: 132 - 135. Body robust and eel-shaped; mouth very large, with gape reaching well beyond eye; dorsal fin inserted before gill-openings, 57-68 fin-rays before level of vent; pectoral fins relatively small, about 4 times in head length; lateral line pores before level of anus 41 or 42 (Ref. 4832).
Found in coastal waters and estuaries, on soft bottom (Ref. 30573). Feeds at night, on bottom fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 30573). Marketed mainly fresh. Caught also by bag (dol) net.
Castle, P.H.J., 1984. Muraenesocidae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). Volume III. FAO, Rome. (Ref. 7238)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 123251)
CITES (Ref. 123416)
Threat to humans
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969
): 5.4 - 11.7, mean 6.8 °C (based on 18 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.7500 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00112 (0.00048 - 0.00261), b=2.98 (2.78 - 3.18), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic level (Ref. 69278
): 4.3 ±0.75 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Fec=310,000-920,000).
Prior r = 1.19, 95% CL = 0.79 - 1.79, Based on 1 stock assessment.
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): High to very high vulnerability (74 of 100) .