Whitespotted Conger

Captured and cultured for fishery in Japan. Caught with trawl nets or deep sea lines as food fish. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 10 160 t. The countries with the largest catches were Korea, Republic of (10 160 t).

Benthic on the shelf on rocky or sandy bottoms at320-830 m.

To about 71 cm; common 35 to 50 cm.

Northward to Hokkaido, Korea, East China Sea.

Body elongate, anterior half of body cylindrical, tail compressed. Tip of snout blint, protruding beyond mouth. 8-9 gillrakers. Mouth rather large, the gape reaching to a vertical through posterior margin of eye. Upper lip with well defined upturned labial flange. Upper jaw longer than the lower. Premaxillary patch of teeth enclosed within closed mouth. Anterior nostril tubular, on lateral side near tip of snout; the posterior without tube, opening in front of middle of eye. Teeth in jaws conical. Maxillary and lower jaw with 2 tooth rows anteriorly, a single row posteriorly. Vomerine tooth band short, 3-4 rows anteriorly. Dorsal inserted above middle of pectoral fin. Pectoral fin shorte. Lateral line pores each placed in whitish spots a row of whitish spots reguraly placed along side of back and nape; 40-42 preanal pores. Colour body dark brown above, ligher below, posterior half of pectoral fin pale.

A carnivore that feeds on fish and crabs.(Ref. 9137).

Vertebrae: 142 - 148

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Head and body with white spots. Lower jaw moderate in size, premaxillary teeth not exposed when closed. Upper lip groove deep (appearing folded up). Maxillary teeth arranged in almost 1 row. Preanal lateral line pores 39-43 (Ref. 41299).

Common on coasts of Japan, in sandy-muddy bottoms (also Ref. 11230); most relished among the congrids. Captured and cultured for fishery in Japan.

fisheries: highly commercial; price category: low; price reliability: reliable: based on ex-vessel price for this species

分布於西北太平洋海域。臺灣海域目前出現在東部、東北部及西南部海域。

量少，漁民以底拖網或籠具捕獲；除當下雜魚製作成魚粉利用外，漁業之經濟價值較低。

身體延長，尾部側扁漸細，頭部扁平且背側具白色斑點排列呈「北」字形，頭部及身體呈暗色，偶呈淡色，全長為鰓孔位體高及肛門位體高之14.9-19.1及16.0-22.8倍；肛門位於全長中點之前，肛門前長佔全長的37-40 %；尾長延長，其長度約為肛門前長的1.5-1.7倍；尾端柔軟，易彎折，尾部末端鰭條正常；背鰭起點位於胸鰭基部後方；奇鰭具有黑色邊緣，鰭條分節；胸鰭發達，靠近基部具暗色斑點，胸鰭位於體高中點，胸鰭基部上緣約位於眼睛垂直中點水平線之下方；側線孔位於白色斑點中心，兩側側線孔與背鰭間各有一列白色斑點，斑點之間的距離大於側線孔間距；鰓孔幾乎為圓弧狀，位於身體側邊中點之下方；全長為頭長之6.8-7.6倍，吻端延長略為尖狀，口裂末端約到達眼睛後緣之下方，上顎略長於下顎，吻長大於眼直徑，吻長為眼直徑之1.9-2.1倍；眼睛大，約占頭長的12-13 %；嘴唇具上、下唇瓣；前鼻孔為短管狀，靠近吻端，後鼻孔為圓形，位於眼睛垂直中點水平線之上方。上眼窩有4個感覺孔，下眼窩有5個感覺孔，前鰓顎有8-9個感覺孔，顳骨接合處有1個感覺孔；胸鰭鰭條數為14-15；背鰭前側線孔數11-13，胸鰭前側線孔數5-7，肛門前側線孔數39-40；背鰭前脊椎骨數14，肛門前脊椎骨數42-43，血管閉合處前脊椎骨數53，總脊椎骨數143-145。此種背鰭與側線之間的白色斑點於其他物種皆無觀察到，浸製處理後的標本斑點依然存在，為此種相當獨特的特徵，可利用此特徵輕易的區分此種與本屬其餘種類。

主要棲息於沙泥底海域。

Conger myriaster eels.

The whitespotted conger (Conger myriaster) (Japanese: 真穴子; ma-anago) is a marine conger eel, widespread in the Northwest Pacific near the coasts of Japan, Korean Peninsula, and the East China Sea. C. myriaster inhabits shallow sea bottom sand and mud. It is also consumed as food and is a common item on menus in Japan and abroad as anago. Its maximum total length is 100 cm.