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Taxonomy from GBIF.org. Alternative combination: Urenchelys hakelensis (Davis, 1887) Diagnosis translated by oilshale from French (Belouze et al. 2003 p. 367): “Very small anguillimorph fish with about 100 vertebrae clearly taller than long; length ratio between neurocranial roof and total length about 10; head high posteriorly and tapering anteriorly; premaxillae not fused to mesethmovomer; frontals not fused to sensory commissure. anteriorly; premaxillae not fused to the mesethmovomer; frontals not fused and without sensory commissure frontal; parietals very developed; high suspensorium ; ectopterygoid absent; very robust mandible with dental and articulo-angulo-articular joint welded at least laterally and without marked coronoid process; subopercle with bent anterodorsal branch; robust hyoid arch supporting at least 15 branchiosteal at least 15 very long gill rays; first caudal vertebrae without neural spines; undulated neural and hemipeles wavy; pectoral girdle with long, thin cleithra and high pectoral fins; robust caudal fin not continuous with otherwise poorly ossified dorsal and anal fins; LDFF = enPU5/7 and LAFF = ehPU4/8” Line drawing from Belouze et al. 2003, p. 368: Identified by Mr. AbiSaad, owner of the Hgula deposit. References: Davis, J.W. (1887). On the Fossil Fishes of the Chalk of Mount Lebanon in Syria. Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society 48 (2), 624–626. Belouze, A., Gayet, M. and Atallah, C. (2003) Les premiers Anguilliformes : II. Paraphylie du genre Urenchelys WOODWARD, 1900 et relations phylogénétiques. Geobios, Volume 36, Issue 4, Pages 351-378.

Outdated name: "Urenchelys" germanus HAY, 1903. From Wikipedia: "This genus is interesting as comprising the oldest known eels, which differ from all the tertiary and existing eels in still retaining the caudal fin. Teeth small, bluntly conical, and arranged in numerous series. Slender branchiostegal rays not curving round the opercular apparatus. Vertebrae exceeding 100 in number, the hindermost bearing a pair of expanded hypural bones. Pectoral fins present; dorsal fins arising immediately behind the occiput and extending to the caudal fin, which has stouter rays and is very small but separate. Scales rudimentary." Diagnosis translated by oilshale from French (Belouze et al. 2003, p. 353): "Anguillimorphic fish with about 102 vertebrae; heavily ossified head with massive cleithra and numerous pectoral rays; mesethmoid, separate vomer and premaxillae and paired rostral toothed plates; unwelded frontals with deep groove for supraorbital sensory canal; small supraoccipital and epiotics excluded from participation in cranial roof; palatopterygoid arch with long ecto- and entopterygoids, intimately connected to the other elements of the suspensorium; massive mandible with autogenous articuloanguloretroarticular and rounded posterolateral termination of the dentary; coronomeckelian reduced and not enclosed by the median fork of the dentary; posterior end of maxilla massive and quadrangular; multiseriate teeth numerous and small; about 13 branchiosteal rays and urohyal (bifid?) with corded head; absence of pelvic fins; caudal fin very close to dorsal and anal fins (LDFF around enPU2 and LAFF around ehPU3); 11 ventral caudal rays, 12 dorsal; first preural vertebra with neural spine." Identified by Dr. Norbert Micklich, Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt (HLMD). References: Anne Belouze, Mireille Gayet & Claude Atallah (2003) Les premiers Anguilliformes : II. Paraphylie du genre Urenchelys WOODWARD, 1900 et relations phylogénétiques. Geobios 36(4):351-378.