Needletail Conger, Rhynchoconger nitens
Needletail Conger, Rhynchoconger nitens. Fish provided via regurgitation by an 28 cm (11 inch) Pacific Red Snapper, Lutjanus peru caught from coastal waters off Point Palmilla, Baja California Sur, August 2009. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches). Tail: 53% of TL.
The Needletail Conger, Rhynchoconger nitens, is a member of the Conger Eel or Congridae Family, this is also known as the Bignose Conger and in Mexico as congrio estilete. Globally, there are six species in the genus Rhynchoconger, of which four are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and one, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.
The Needletail Conger has an elongated narrow “eel-like” body. They are pale reddish brown in color transitioning to silver ventrally with the upper half of their head and body covered with numerous tiny black spots. Their anal and dorsal fins are black. Their pointed head has small beady eyes, a horizontal mouth with bands of simple conical teeth, and an overhanging strongly projecting conical snout with a fleshy keel underneath. Their anal and dorsal fins are continuous with their caudal fin; their caudal fin is slender and narrows to a point (after which they are named); their dorsal fin origin is just before the rear of their pectoral fins; and, their pectoral fins are well-developed and end above their gill cover openings. A key to identification is the tail length which is reported to be greater than 67% of total length, however, I note that the small fish pictured above has a tail that is only 52.7% of total length. They have a complete lateral line.
The Needletail Conger is a demersal species that is found buried within coastal sandy substrate at depths between 20 m (65 feet) and 103 m (340 feet). They reach a maximum of 40 cm (16 inches) in length. The Needletail Conger is a rare and poorly studied species with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Needletail Conger is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from north of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur along the central and northwest coasts of Baja and from the extreme northern portions of the Sea of Cortez.
The Needletail Conger is most likely confused with the Hardtail Conger, Gnathophis cinctus (large black eyes).
From a conservation perspective the Needletail Conger is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are small in stature, exceedingly rare, and of limited interest to most.