Chiloconger Myers and Wade 1941

Chiloconger Myers and Wade, 1941

Chiloconger Myers and Wade, 1941: 65

Type species: Chiloconger labiatus Myers and Wade, 1941: 66.

Diagnosis. Body moderately elongate, preanal length greater than 40% TL; tip of tail blunt and stiffened, caudal fin reduced; dorsal fin begins over posterior part of appressed pectoral fin; dorsal­ and anal­fin rays unsegmented; upper end of gill opening opposite upper part of pectoral­fin base, not enclosing pectoral fin; snout short and blunt, eye large, its diameter slightly greater than snout length; well developed, broadly rounded and elevated flange on upper lip, covering a hollowed­out area; adnasal pore present in at least one species, second and fifth infraorbital pores present, but third and fourth absent; maxillary and mandibular teeth irregularly biserial or triserial, not forming a cutting edge; lateral ethmoid process present, supraoccipital present, posterior end of urohyal simple (not trifurcate).

Relationships. Smith (1989: 490) observed that the Bathymyrinae could be divided into two groups. One group contains the genera Ariosoma, Bathymyrus, and Parabathymyrus and is characterized as follows: supraoccipital bone absent, urohyal trifurcate, adnasal pore absent, third and fourth infraorbital pores present, leptocephali with lateral pigment consisting of a series of short, oblique rows of tiny melanophores on myosepta. The other group contains Paraconger and Chiloconger and is characterized as follows: supraoccipital bone present, urohyal simple, adnasal pore usually present, third and fourth infraorbital pores absent, leptocephali with lateral pigment consisting of a single series of moderately large melanophores along midlateral line. At the time, Smith had no detailed information on Chiloconger, but he assigned it to the Paraconger group on the basis of retained larval pigmentation in a small specimen. Information presented here (see below) confirms Smith's conclusion; Chiloconger dentatus has a supraoccipital and a simple urohyal. In addition, Chiloconger philippinensis, at least, has an adnasal pore, and both species lack the third and fourth infraorbital pores.