Gnathophis mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
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 mystax, the thinlip conger or blacktailed conger, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including southern Portugal, the Mediterranean, and Morocco. It dwells at a depth range of 75–800 metres, and inhabits mud and sand on the continental slope. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres (2 ft 0 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 35 centimetres (1 ft 2 in).
The thinlip conger feeds on crustaceans including crabs such as Goneplax rhomboides, shrimp and prawns such as Alpheus glaber, Calocaris macandreae, Processa canaliculata, and mysids. It also feeds on polychaetes, bony fish and other invertebrates. Spawning occurs between August and October.
The thinlip conger is sometimes harvested by fisheries.
Wikipedia contributors, Gnathophis mystax; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:38:25.165123+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gnathophis mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
- Name authority
- (Delaroche, 1809)
- 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 mystax (Delaroche, 1809)
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 |
| hardtail congerGnathophis cinctus (Garman, 1899) | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Muraena mystax Delaroche, 1809 Delaroche, 1809 | synonym |
| Bathycongrus mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Congermuraena mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Gnatophis mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Ariosoma mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Conger mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Congromuraena mystax (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | 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=126287 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:3GLW5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.