# Leptocephalus (genus)

Leptocephalus is a genus that was used for species of larval eels, called leptocephali. Leptocephali larvae differ so much in appearance from their adults. When first discovered, leptocephali were thought to be a distinct type of fish, not an eel specie. Because of this, the genus designation of Leptocephalus was used for a while for an unidentified leptocephali. After it was known that these were eel larvae, it was identified to be part of a wastebasket taxon, but not anymore in the present classification system. Examples of marine congrid larvae, found in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea that were named this way are listed below. Only two species (L. bellottii and L. ophichthoides) in two families are currently treated as having any validity, though the validity of L. bellottii is strongly in doubt.

## Species

There are 16 families of Leptocephalus organisms that include over 70 species. They are broken down according to the species that they contain. If the species has a common name or English name, it is written after a dash. A common name can belong to many species.
Family Anguillidae
Leptocephalus brevirostris Kaup, 1856 – European eel
Leptocephalus grassii Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – American eel
Family Chlopsidae
Leptocephalus hyoproroides Strömman, 1896 (valid as Kaupichthys hyoproroides)
Family Congridae
Leptocephalus affinis Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus candidissimus Costa, 1832 – European conger
Leptocephalus capensis Kaup, 1856 (valid as Gnathophis capensis) – Southern Atlantic conger
Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus, 1758) – European conger
Leptocephalus congroides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Heteroconger congroides)
Leptocephalus cotroneii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gorgasia cotroneii)
Leptocephalus eckmani Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus ectenurus Jordan & Richardson, 1909 (valid as Rhynchoconger ectenurus)
Leptocephalus erebennus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Conger erebennus)
Leptocephalus gussoni Cocco, 1829 – European conger
Leptocephalus inaequalis Facciolà, 1883 – European conger
Leptocephalus inferomaculatus Blache, 1977 (valid as Gorgasia inferomaculata)
Leptocephalus inornatus Facciolà, 1883 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus lineatus Bonnaterre, 1788 – European conger
Leptocephalus maculatus Della Croce & Castle, 1966 (valid as Heteroconger hassi) – spotted garden eel
Leptocephalus marginatus Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus mauritianum Pappenheim, 1914 (valid as Ariosoma mauritianum) – blunt tooth conger
Leptocephalus microphthalmus Beebe & Tee-Van, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus morrisii Gmelin, 1789 – European conger
Leptocephalus nystromi Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Gnathophis nystromi)
Leptocephalus orbignyanus (Valenciennes, 1837) (valid as Conger orbignianus) – Argentine conger
Leptocephalus pellucidus (Couch, 1832) – European conger
Leptocephalus retrotinctus Jordan & Snyder, 1901 (valid as Bathycongrus retrotinctus) – blackedge conger
Leptocephalus rex Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus sanzoi D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ariosoma sanzoi)
Leptocephalus scheelei Strömman, 1896 (valid as Ariosoma scheelei) – tropical conger
Leptocephalus spallanzani Risso, 1810 – European conger
Leptocephalus splendens (Lea, 1913) (valid as Pseudophichthys splendens) – purple-mouthed conger
Leptocephalus stenops Kaup, 1856 – European conger
Leptocephalus taenia Kaup, 1856 (valid as Ariosoma balearicum) – bandtooth conger
Leptocephalus trilineatus Castle, 1964 (valid as Bathycongrus trilineatus)
Leptocephalus vitreus Kölliker, 1853 – European conger
Leptocephalus wilsoni (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (valid as Conger wilsoni) – cape conger
Family Cyprinidae
Leptocephalus mongolicus Basilewsky, 1855 – Mongolian redfin
Family Derichthyidae
Leptocephalus ingolfianus Schmidt, 1912 – duckbill oceanic eel
Leptocephalus anguilloides Schmidt, 1916 – narrownecked oceanic eel
Family Eurypharyngidae
Leptocephalus pseudolatissimus Bertin, 1936 (valid as Eurypharynx pelecanoides Bertin, 1936) – pelican eel
Family Moringuidae
Leptocephalus diptychus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1901 (valid as Moringua edwardsi) – spaghetti eel
Leptocephalus tuberculatus Castle, 1965 – swollengut worm eel
Family Muraenesocidae
Leptocephalus arabicus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Gavialiceps arabicus)
Family Muraenidae
Leptocephalus euryurus Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias euryurus)
Leptocephalus forsstromi Strömman, 1896 – purplemouth moray eel
Leptocephalus similis Lea, 1913 (valid as Anarchias similis) – pygmy moray
Family Nemichthyidae
Leptocephalus acuticeps – southern snipe eel
Leptocephalus andreae Schmidt, 1912 – slender snipe eel
Leptocephalus canaricus Lea, 1913 – slender snipe eel
Leptocephalus curvirostris Strömman, 1896 – boxer snipe eel
Leptocephalus oxycephalus Pappenheim, 1914 – avocet snipe eel
Leptocephalus polymerus Lea, 1913 – boxer snipe eel
Family Nettastomatidae
Leptocephalus bellottii D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Nettenchelys bellottii)
Leptocephalus lateromaculatus D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Saurenchelys lateromaculata)
Leptocephalus longirostris Kaup, 1856 – blackfin sorcerer
Leptocephalus oxyrhynchus Bellotti, 1883 – Facciola's sorcerer
Leptocephalus saurencheloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Facciolella saurencheloides)
Leptocephalus stylurus Lea, 1913 – pillar wire eel
Leptocephalus urosema Lea, 1913 – blackfin sorcerer
Family Notacanthidae
Leptocephalus giganteus Castle, 1959 – giant leptocephalus
Family Ophichthidae
Leptocephalus caudomaculatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – spotted spoon-nose eel
Leptocephalus crenatus Strömman, 1896 – key worm eel
Leptocephalus echeloides D'Ancona, 1928 (valid as Ophichthus echeloides)
Leptocephalus gilberti Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – sooty eel
Leptocephalus hexastigma Regan, 1916 – key worm eel
Leptocephalus humilis Strömman, 1896 – key worm eel
Leptocephalus mollis Fowler, 1944 – speckled worm eel
Leptocephalus mucronatus Eigenmann & Kennedy, 1902 – margined snake eel
Leptocephalus ophichthoides D'Ancona, 1928
Leptocephalus undulatus Strömman, 1896 (valid as Myrichthys breviceps) – sharptail snake-eel
Family Saccopharyngidae
Leptocephalus latissimus Schmidt, 1912 (valid as Saccopharynx ampullaceus)
Family Serrivomeridae
Leptocephalus lanceolatoides Schmidt, 1916 – short-tooth sawpalate
Leptocephalus lanceolatus Strömman, 1896 – Bean's sawtooth eel
Family Synaphobranchidae
Leptocephalus dolichorhynchus Lea, 1913 (valid as Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus)
Leptocephalus proboscideus Lea, 1913 (valid as Dysommina proboscideus)
Leptocephalus telescopicus Schmidt, 1913 (valid as Dysomma brevirostre) – pignosed arrowtooth eel