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Giant leptocephalus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Colocongridae
Genus:	Coloconger
Species:	C. giganteus
Binomial name
Coloconger giganteus (Castle, 1959)
Synonyms
Ascomana giganteus (Castle, 1959) Leptocepgalus giganteus (Castle, 1959)

The giant leptocephalus (Coloconger giganteus) is a species of eel in the family Notacanthidae (spiny eels). It was first described by Peter Henry John Castle in 1959. It is a marine, deep-water dwelling eel which is distributed worldwide.

If it is indeed a leptocephalid, it is probably the larvae of a Notacanthus species, most probably Notacanthus chemnitzii. In 2014 it was confirmed as a species of Coloconger.

Notes

1. The eel was once again spotted off the coast of South Africa, apparently, from estimates, an adult would measure a gigantic 21 m (69 ft) long.

References

1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Leptocephalus giganteus". FishBase. September 2024 version.
2. Castle, P. H. J. (July 1959). "A large leptocephalid (Teleostei, Apodes) from off South Westland, New Zealand". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 87 (pts 1-2): 179–184.
3. Moser, H.G.; S.R. Charter (1996). "Notacanthidae: spinyeels". In H.G. Moser (ed.). The early stages of fishes in the California Current Region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. pp. 82–85.
4. Fricke, R.; Reséndiz-López, M. A. & Oseguera-Rodríguez, A. S. (2024). Fishes and Lampreys of Mexico. An annotated checklist. México: CONABIO.

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