Bathycongrus trimaculatus, a new congrid eel (Teleostei: Anguilliformes) from the southwestern Pacific, with a redescription of Bathycongrus bleekeri Fowler

Bathycongrus trimaculatus is described from 16 specimens collected from moderately deep water off the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and New Caledonia in the southwestern Pacific. It is distinguished from all other species by the presence of three conspicuous dark spots in the dorsal and anal fins; by having the vomerine teeth in an elongate patch with all the teeth about the same size and none of them greatly enlarged; by having fewer vertebrae; and by its small size. Bathycongrus bleekeri is redescribed, based on the unique holotype and two additional specimens, and compared to other species of the genus.