Daggertooth pike conger

The dagger-tooth pike conger (Muraenesox cinereus) is a species of eel. They primarily live on soft bottoms in marine and brackish waters down to a depth of 800 m (2,600 ft), but may enter freshwater. They are common to about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length, but may grow as long as 2.2 m (7.2 ft). Dagger-tooth pike congers occur in the Red Sea, on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean, and in the West Pacific from Indochina to Japan. It has also invaded the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. Dagger-tooth pike conger is a major commercial species, with annual catches reaching about 350,000 tonnes in recent years. The countries reporting the largest landings were China and Taiwan. It is a traditional food in Japanese cuisine, where it is known as hamo (ハモ, 鱧). Hamo no kawa (pickled conger skins) is a traditional delicacy in Kansai region. Conger pike meat has been used as a co-ingredient in creating crab stick. As other fish, the dagger-tooth pike conger harbours several species of parasites. A species of trichosomoidid nematode which parasitizes the muscles of the fish off Japan has been described in 2014 and named Huffmanela hamo, in reference to the Japanese name of the fish. Accumulations of eggs of the parasite are visible as 1–2 mm black spots in the flesh of the fish. The parasite is rare and the consumption of infected fish meat has no consequences for humans.