Madeira Canary Islands Azores – Fishes Dr. Peter Wirtz

Bacallado’s moray (Gymnothorax bacalladoi)
Up to 45 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 5 – 20 m depth.
This small moray is only rarely seen. Young animals (like that in the photo) have a light ring behind the head
which disappears in the adult animal. Photo (bottom right) Peter Wirtz.
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Conger eels (Congridae)
Conger eel (Conger conger)
Up to 3 m long. Madeira, Canary Islands, Azores. 5 – 2000 m depth.
The Conger eel differs from the true freshwater eel two pages further on), which can only rarely be seen in the
sea, by having the upper jaw slightly longer than the lower jaw (i.e. the reverse of the freshwater eel). A night-
active species, which hides in dark places during the day. Males reach sexual maturity with 55 - 70 cm length,
females only with 2 m length. Large females can produce up to 8 million eggs. Occasionally, one can see a
conger with circular white rings on the head, the marks of the suction cups of an octopus that tied not to be
eaten by a Conger. Photo Peter Wirtz.
Garden eel (Heteroconger longissimus)
Up to 60 cm long. Madeira, Canary Islands. 10 – 40 m depth.
This tropical species lives on both sides of the Atlantic. In the eastern Atlantic, it reaches its northern limit at
Madeira Island (like many other tropical species). The tube in the sand is solidified with a gluey secretion
produced by the tail of the eel. During the day, Garden eels pick drifting plankton out of the water. At night,