Leptocephalus (meaning "slim head"[1])
is the flat and transparent larva of the eel, marine eels, and
other members of the superorder Elopomorpha.
This is one of the most diverse groups of teleosts, containing 801 species in
24 orders, 24 families, and 156 genera.[2]
This group is thought to have arisen in the Cretaceous period over 140 million
years ago.[2]
Fishes with a leptocephalus larval stage include the most familiar eels such as
the conger, moray eel,
and garden
eel as well as members of the family Anguillidae,
plus more than 10 other families of lesser-known types of marine eels. These
are all true eels of the order Anguilliformes.
The fishes of the other four traditional orders of elopomorph fishes that have
this type of larvae are more diverse in their body forms and include the tarpon, bonefish, spiny eel,
and pelican
eel.
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