1037 



Tlie genus of the Coiigei's, wliicli as cU'liiu'd iilK)\o, 

 ai'tcr Kai'I'", contains a few (o or 4) as('ortain(Ml siiccics, 

 ill the essential form of liie Ijoily and lins resembles 

 the preceding genus, onh' tluit the dorsal tin commences 

 further forward. The character afforded by the form 

 and distribution of the teeth (fig. 282) distinguishes it 

 not only from the preceding genus, but also from three 

 other genera'' belonging to the family of tiie I'.els. The 

 most important skeletal differences from AnniilUa are 

 remarked above. Here we shall merely add that the 

 nasal (sui)raethmoidal, spct) bones covering each nasal 

 cavity are more developed in ('onf/er, lieing indeed thin, 

 but broad, and broki'U up anteriorly into a grating, 

 with the openings set transyersely or, at the extreme 

 front, directed forwards. 



'liie generic name had a specific signification in 



fjNN.Kfs, and ouglit indeed to have retained tliis cai)a- 

 cit\'; but ('rviici!' raised it to its |n'esent rank, which 

 it has unifoi-mly preserved in tiie system. X(jw tiiat 

 it liiis lieen pro\ed (see above) that the formerly recog- 

 nised genus Lcptocephaliis, which has occupied a place 

 in the system since 1763, consists of larvtc and dege- 

 nerate forms, belonging in grijat part to the species of 

 the common Conger, it nia\' well lie asked whether the 

 Cuvierian generic name ought not to l)e replaced by 

 the (ironovian. Hut at present, so long as there are 

 Lepto('Cj)]ialns forms which cannot be referred with 

 certainty to any definite species, the alteration might 

 easily cause confusion'. Furthermore, Conger has been 

 •known as a generic name ever since the time of 

 Akistotle'', and in llie works of Belon-'^, Rondei.et", 

 and WiLLUfiHUv''. 



THE CONGER (sw. hafsalen). 

 COXCEli NIGER. 



PliUu XLV, fig. 2. 



Bisiancc heticeeii the dorsal fin and the tip of the snout alwut '/^ ' of the lenf/th of the body, or at most aJioiit 

 */V of that between the anal fi)i and the same point. Length of the snout V.i '"' """'? "./ that of the head, 

 which measures ^3 — ^/\ of the distance between the dorsal fin and the tip of the snout. Length of the pectoral 



fins about ^/^ — '/,, of the last-mentioned distance. 



R. bv. 9 '—10; D. ca27o— .SOO; .4. en 205—22,1; C. 10; 

 P. 17'; Vert. 153 — 156'". 



Syn. Munena supremo nmrgine pinn;e dorsalis iiigro, Aut.. Irlithi/ol., 

 Gen., p. 24; Syn., p. 40. 

 Murcena Conger, Lin., Syst. Nat., ed. X, torn. I. p. 245; 

 Bl., Naturg. Ausl. Fisdi., pt. II, p. 37, tub. CLV; Am, 

 (Ophichtliiis), .Mur., Oph. (disp. Ups. 1789), p. 11; Mitch. 

 {AnguilUi), Lit., Phil. Trans. N. York. vol. I, p. 360; 

 Pall. {Murcena), Zool. Ross. Asiat., toin. III. p. 72; NiLSS., 

 Prodr. Ichthyol. Scnnd., p. 64; Ku. (Angiiilla), Damn. 



Fisk-., vol. Ill, p. 60.3; XiLss. (Mnrcena), SIcand. Fna, 



Fish., p. 680; Bu.-Goode (Leptocephalus), Fisher., Fisher. 



Indnstr. U. S., sect. I, p. 656. tab. 240. 

 ^[ltrcen(t mynis. BrOnn., Ichthyol. Massil., p. 12 (false de- , 



term.). 

 Erlielu-s Macropterus, Hak., Caratl. Ale. X. Gen., p. 64 



(+ E. Gruncus, p. 65), tab. XVII, figg. 2 et .3. 

 .Mnni'iiii nigra, Klsso, fchtliyot. Nice, p. 93 (4- .^ftlr. conger, 



p. 92); JoRD., GiLE. (Conger niger), Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 



No. 16, p. 362; Coll., N. Mag. Naturv., Bd. 29 (1884), 



p. 113. 



"" Cat. Apod. Fish., Brit. Mus., p. 111. The cliaraeters were first pointed out. however, by KiciiARnsoN in Ichthyol. Ereb., Terror, p. 107. 



* Ophisoma, Swainson (Congromuriena, Kaup, Gthr), Vroconyer, Kr, and Poeciloconger, Ctiir. 

 ' Regn. Anim., ed. 1, tome II, p. 231. 



* JoBD., Gill., Bull. U. S. Xat. Mus., No. 16, p. 362, nt.te. 



'• rdy/QOg, De Anim. Hi.H., lib. I, eap. V; lib. II, eapp. XIII. XV. XVII; lib. III. eap. X: lib. VT. eaj.. XVII; lib. VIII. oa],p. XIII. 



XV; lib. IX,- eap. II. 



^ Aat., Divers. Poiss., p. 159. 



■' De Pise, lib. XIV, cap. I, p. 394. 



" Hist. Pise, lib. 4, eap. V, p. HI. 



' 19—^20 %; in old specimens, according to Kroyer, up to 23 %. 



J 46—52 'i. 



'' Sometimes 8, according to Bleeker. 



' ,, 15, ,, ,, „ , and 19, according to Day. 



'" 154 — 164, according to Day. 



