Taylor's Garden Eel

Heteroconger taylori

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Congridae
Genus: Heteroconger
Species: Heteroconger taylori

Taylor's garden eel (Heteroconger taylori) is a pale, finely speckled garden eel that lives in colonies on sand. It is less boldly marked than the spotted garden eel.

It grows to around 40-50 cm and feeds on plankton drifting past its burrow. Like other garden eels, it retreats into the sand when approached.

In the Philippines it is found on sandy slopes, sometimes mixed in with other garden eel colonies.

Photo: Gregor Bailar, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist