Windowpane

Windowpane

Scophthalmus aquosus

Size:
to 18"
usually much smaller

Habitat:
Soft sandy bottoms,
in depths from water's edge to 150 ft.

Description:
This is a left-eyed flounder. Identifying characteristics are the nearly circular body shape and the free rays of the dorsal fin, which form a frill near the eye. The Windowpane is common but very thin and too small to eat. It is the sole new-world representative of the turbot family, which is commercially important in Europe.

Windowpane
Herb Segars Photography

Conger Eel

Conger oceanicus

Size
to 7 1/2 ft and 90 lbs., usually smaller

Description
The Conger Eel closely resembles the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata, but is distinguishable by its longer snout and the very large dorsal fin that originates much closer to the pectoral fins. The Conger is also larger, frequently attaining a weight of 10 to 20 pounds and a length of 5 to 7 feet. Its European cousin, Conger conger, is even more spectacular, occasionally tipping the scales at 130 pounds and measuring over 12 feet in length. The American Conger is gray above and white underneath. The dorsal and anal fins have broad black margins. Overall, the Conger appears much lighter than the freshwater eel, thus the common name Silver Eel. The species is distributed from Massachusetts to south Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico westward to Mississippi.

Printed from njscuba.net