Bathyuroconger, Fowler, 1934

Smith, David G., Ho, Hsuan-Ching & Tashiro, Fumihito, 2018, Eels of the genus Bathyuroconger in the northwestern Pacific, with descriptions of four new species (Anguilliformes: Congridae), Zootaxa 4454 (1), pp. 147-167 : 149

Key to species of Bathyuroconger in the western North Pacific

1A. Gill opening moderate to large, immediately adjacent to pectoral-fin base, its upper corner contacting base of fin........................................................................... B. cf. vicinus ( Indonesia, Papua New Guinea)

1B. Gill opening small to moderate, distinctly separated from base of pectoral fin...................................... 2

2 A. Trunk length 3.3 times head length; preanal vertebrae 63, precaudal vertebrae 70........ B. dolichosomus sp. nov. (Taiwan)

2B. Trunk length less than 2.9 times head length; preanal vertebrae fewer than 55...................................... 3

3A. Gill opening moderately small, separated from pectoral-fin base by a distance of less than diameter of gill opening....... 4

3B. Gill opening very small, separated from pectoral-fin base by a distance greater than diameter of gill opening............ 5

4 A. Body light grayish dorsally and pale ventrally; vertebrae 168‒177........................... B. albus sp. nov. (Taiwan)

4 B. Body uniformly brown; vertebrae 201‒210........................................ B. hawaiiensis sp. nov. (Hawaii)

5A. Dorsal-fin origin over base of pectoral fin; trunk length 1.4‒1.7 times head length; preanal vertebrae 43‒48; total vertebrae 181‒189....................................................... B. parvibranchialis ( Philippines, Taiwan, Japan)

5B. Dorsal-fin origin over middle of pectoral fin; trunk length 1.7‒2.2 times head length; preanal vertebrae 47‒52; total vertebrae 173‒178........................................................... B. fowleri sp. nov. ( Indonesia, Philippines)