hardtail conger
Gnathophis cinctus (Garman, 1899)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Gnathophis cinctus, the hardtail conger or Catalina conger, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). It was described by Samuel Garman in 1899, originally under the genus Atopichthys. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the United States. It dwells at a depth range of 9–336 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle, burrowing into loose sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 42 cm (17 in; 1.38 ft).
The hardtail conger feeds on other conger eels. Due to its widespread distribution, lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the hardtail conger as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Gnathophis cinctus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:01:41.059210+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gnathophis cinctus (Garman, 1899)
- Name authority
- (Garman, 1899)
- Common name
- hardtail conger
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Congridae
- Genus
- Gnathophis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnguilliformes
- familyCongridae Kaup, 1856
- subfamilyCongrinae Kaup, 1856
- genusGnathophis Kaup, 1859
- speciesGnathophis cinctus (Garman, 1899)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gnathophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| blackgut congerGnathophis bathytopos Smith & Kanazawa, 1977 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis capensis (Kaup, 1856) | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis castlei Karmovskaya & Paxton, 2000 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis codoniphorus Maul, 1972 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis grahami Karmovskaya & Paxton, 2000 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis longicauda (Ramsay & Ogilby, 1888) | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis microps Karmovskaya & Paxton, 2000 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis nasutus Karmovskaya & Paxton, 2000 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis neocaledoniensis Karmovskaya, 2004 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Conger eelGnathophis nystromi (Jordan & Snyder, 1901) | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis smithi Karmovskaya, 1990 | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gnathophis ornatus (Frost, 1928) | CongridaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gnathophis catalinensis (Wade, 1946) (Wade, 1946) | synonym |
| Atopichthys cinctus Garman, 1899 Garman, 1899 | synonym |
| Rhynchocymba catalinensis Wade, 1946 Wade, 1946 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=271755 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3GLVN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.