Three new conger eels surfaced from the deep waters around Taiwan

Sifting through 130 deep-sea specimens, researchers from National Taiwan Ocean University, the University of Taipei, and the Smithsonian Institution have described three new species of conger eel, raising Taiwan's known count in the genus from two to five. Published in the journal ZooKeys, the study gives each newcomer a story in its name — one honors Kbalan, an ancient name for Taiwan's Yilan region. Several ripe females among the specimens suggest these dark waters may be a nursery for the eels.