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Heteroconger digueti — Details

Pale Green Eel learn more about names for this taxon

Overview

Comprehensive Description

Description

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Common names: garden-eel (English), anguila-jardín (Espanol), congrio (Espanol), varga (Espanol)

Heteroconger digueti (Pellegrin, 1923)

Cortez gardeneel, Pale green garden-eel

Body very elongate, compressed; tail much longer than head and trunk; head short, snout very short; mouth very short (not reaching rear of eye), oblique, lower jaw only a little projecting; teeth pointed, curved, in narrow bands on jaws; teeth on front roof of mouth in 1-2 irregular longitudinal rows; top lip flanges continuous across front of snout and enclosing front (tubular) nostrils and a pair of pores above the nostrils; rear nostril a hole before eye; pectoral fins tiny (much smaller than pupil) skin flaps; tip of tail stiff, with obvious but small tail fin; dorsal and anal fins sometimes confluent with tail fin; numerous pores on lateral line, 1 for each vertebra.

Light brown with a few whitish patches on head and several light bars on lower half of body; gill opening in a dark spot; anterior pores of lateral line surrounded by unpigmented areas, but not by white-pigmented halos.

Size: attains at least 63 cm.

Habitat: occurs on clean sandy bottoms.

Depth: 2-25 m.

The southern Gulf of California to central Mexico; the Revillagigedo Islands

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Biology

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Forms big colonies on sandy bottom near reefs (Ref. 37955). Feeds on zooplankton suspended in the water column (Ref. 37955).

Smith, D.G. 1995 Congridae. Congrios. p. 1026-1035. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome. (Ref. 9292) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=9292&speccode=13603

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Distribution

Range Description

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This species is distributed from the Gulf of California to central Mexico. Given its specific habitat-type that is associated with shallow sandy intra-reef areas, it has an estimated area of occupancy of less than 2,500 km².

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Eastern Central Pacific: Gulf of California to Jalisco, Mexico.

De la Cruz Agüero, J., M. Arellano Martínez, V.M. Cota Gómez and G. de la Cruz-Agüero 1997 Catalogo de los peces marinos de Baja California Sur. IPN-CICIMAR, La Paz, Mexico. P. 346. (Ref. 37955) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=37955&speccode=4151

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Depth

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Depth Range (m): 2 (S) - 25 (S)

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Zoogeography

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See Map (including site records) of Distribution in the Tropical Eastern Pacific

Global Endemism: All species, East Pacific endemic, Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic

Regional Endemism: All species, TEP endemic, Continent + Island (s), Continent, Island (s)

Residency: Resident

Climate Zone: Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap), Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)

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Physical Description

Morphology

Size

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Length max (cm): 63.0 (S)

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Size

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Maximum size: 630 mm TL

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Max. size

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63.0 cm TL (male/unsexed; (Ref. 9292))

Smith, D.G. 1995 Congridae. Congrios. p. 1026-1035. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome. (Ref. 9292) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=9292&speccode=13603

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Ecology

Habitat

Habitat and Ecology

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Habitat and Ecology

This demersal fish primarily occurs on clean flat, sloping sandy substrate and reef edges, forming large colonies on sandy areas near shallow reefs.

Systems

Marine

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Depth range based on 7 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 2 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 4 - 31.5
  Temperature range (°C): 19.490 - 24.160
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.428 - 8.632
  Salinity (PPS): 35.034 - 35.040
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.242 - 4.877
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.557 - 1.385
  Silicate (umol/l): 4.567 - 17.402

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 4 - 31.5

Temperature range (°C): 19.490 - 24.160

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.428 - 8.632

Salinity (PPS): 35.034 - 35.040

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.242 - 4.877

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.557 - 1.385

Silicate (umol/l): 4.567 - 17.402

Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

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Depth: 230 - 275m.
From 230 to 275 meters.

Habitat: bathydemersal.

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Habitat

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Salinity: Marine, Marine Only

Inshore/Offshore: Inshore, Inshore Only

Water Column Position: Bottom, Bottom only

Habitat: Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom), Soft bottom (mud, sand,gravel, beach, estuary & mangrove), Soft bottom only, Sand & gravel

FishBase Habitat: Bathydemersal

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Environment

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bathydemersal; non-migratory; marine; depth range 230 - 275 m (Ref. 9292)

Smith, D.G. 1995 Congridae. Congrios. p. 1026-1035. In W. Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome. (Ref. 9292) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=9292&speccode=13603

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Trophic Strategy

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Forms big colonies on sandy bottom near reefs (Ref. 37955). Feeds on zooplankton suspended in the water column (Ref. 37955).

De la Cruz Agüero, J., M. Arellano Martínez, V.M. Cota Gómez and G. de la Cruz-Agüero 1997 Catalogo de los peces marinos de Baja California Sur. IPN-CICIMAR, La Paz, Mexico. P. 346. (Ref. 37955) http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=37955&speccode=4151

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Feeding

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Feeding Group: Planktivore

Diet: zooplankton

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Life History and Behavior

Reproduction

Reproduction

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Egg Type: Pelagic, Pelagic larva

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Conservation

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List Assessment

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Red List Category

LC

Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version

3.1

Year Assessed

2010

Assessor/s

McCosker, J., Béarez, P., and Lea, B.

Reviewer/s

Carpenter, K., Polidoro, B., Livingstone, S. (Global Marine Species Assessment Team)

Justification

This species is restricted to the Gulf of California and central Mexico with an area of occupancy of less than 2,500 km². However, it can be locally common, and there are no major threats currently known for this species. It is listed as Least Concern.

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Conservation status

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IUCN Red List: Not evaluated / Listed

CITES: Not listed

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Trends

Population

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Population

This species was reported to be rare in surveys of the Gulf of California, where relative abundance was lower than 0.01% of the fish community (Arburto-Oropeza and Balart 2001). However, this species is commonly observed by scuba divers and may exist in abundant colonies.

Population Trend

Unknown

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Threats

Threats

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Major Threats

There are no major threats known for this species.

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Least Concern (LC)

IUCN 2006 2006 IUCN red list of threatened species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded July 2006. http://www.fishbase.org/references/FBRefSummary.php?id=57073

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Management

Conservation Actions

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Conservation Actions

There are no known specific conservation measures for this species. However, the species' distribution overlaps with several Marine Protected Areas in the eastern tropical Pacific region (WDPA 2006).

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