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Short-finned Conger-eel
Conger wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Above and below: A Short-finned Conger-eel at a depth of 12m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, April 1999. View larger image.
The Short-finned Conger-eel is blue-grey to brown-black above and pale below.
It grows to 1.6m in length.
This species closely resembles the Southern Conger-eel Conger verreauxi (view fact sheet). The position of the dorsal fin origin can be used to distinguish between these species. In the Short-finned Conger-eel the dorsal fin starts slightly behind the pectoral fin tip while in the Southern Conger-eel the dorsal fin begins above the tip of the pectoral fin.
Other differences include the number of vertebrae, lateral line pores and dorsal fin ray counts.
The Short-finned Conger-eel occurs on the eastern Australian coast from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales, and on the south coast from eastern South Australia to south-western Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
