Record of a leptocephalus Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Congridae) stranded on the Hishinuma coast, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan

A leptocephalus specimen (104.0 mm total length) of Rhynchoconger ectenurus (Jordan and Richardson, 1909) (Congridae) was stranded on the Hishinuma coast (Sagami Bay), Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In Japanese waters, the species has previously been recorded from Aichi to Kagoshima prefectures (Pacific coast), Fukui Prefecture (Sea of Japan coast), and the East China Sea. Additionally, specimens of R. ectenurus collected from Kanagawa, Shizuoka, and Nagasaki prefectures are registered and preserved in Japanese museum collections, indicating its presence in these regions. Moreover, the leptocephali that were identified as R. ectenurus by DNA barcording have recently been reported from the East China Sea, and their morphological features have been clarified. Thus, the present specimen represents the first documented record from Sagami Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture.