Ophichthidae is a family of fish in the order Anguilliformes, commonly known as the snake eels. The term "Ophichthidae" comes from Greek ophis ("serpent") and ichthys ("fish"). Snake eels are also burrowing eels. They are named for their physical appearance, as they have long, cylindrical, snake-like bodies. This family is found worldwide in tropical to warm temperate waters. They inhabit a wide range of habitats, from coastal shallows and even rivers, to depths below 800 m (2,600 ft). Most species are bottom dwellers, hiding in mud or sand to capture their prey of crustaceans and small fish, but some are pelagic.
Brachysomophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Dalophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Pseudomyrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Uroconger drachi is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1976. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen taken from Pointe Noire, Republic of the Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. From the holotype it is known to dwell at a depth of 120 metres (390 ft). Males can reach a total length of 41.5 centimetres (16.3 in).
Pseudomyrophis atlanticus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1975. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal and Angola. It dwells at a depth range of 40 to 100 metres, and inhabits the continental shelf, where it forms burrows in sand and mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 25.9 centimetres (10.2 in).
Bascanichthys ceciliae is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Jean Cadenat in 1971. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern coastal Atlantic Ocean between Senegal and Angola. It inhabits shallow waters where it burrows in sand; the burrows are sometimes exposed during low tide. It can reach a maximum total length of 82.5 centimetres, but more commonly reaches a TL of 60 cm.
The crocodile snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Edward Turner Bennett in 1833. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including East Africa, the Society Islands, Japan, and Australia. Males can reach a maximum total length of 120 centimetres. It dwells at a depth range of 0–30 metres, and inhabits coral reefs. It forms burrows in sand and lies in wait to ambush prey, leaving only its eyes exposed. Its diet consists of octopuses, species of Calcarina, and finfish.
The reptilian snake eel, also known as Henshaw's snake eel, the Hawaiian crocodile eel or the crocodile snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder in 1904.
Brachysomophis longipinnis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and John Ernest Randall in 2001. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from a single specimen collected from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 50 metres, and is known to reach a total length of 42.1 centimetres.
The turret snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and John Ernest Randall in 2001. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Western Pacific, including Indonesia and the Philippines. It dwells at a depth range of 14 to 18 metres, and inhabits sand and reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 13.9 centimetres (5.5 in).
Dalophis boulengeri is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache, Jean Cadenat and Alfred Stauch in 1970. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including Angola, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Gabon, Gambia, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, and Togo. It is active at night, and inhabits burrows during the daytime, leaving its head exposed. Males can reach a maximum total length of 57.4 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 47.5 cm.
Dalophis multidentatus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is known from a single specimen collected from the Saloum River in Senegal, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known through this specimen to form burrows in sand or mud on the continental shelf, and to dwell at a depth of 50 m (160 ft). Males are able to reach a total length of 15.3 cm (6.0 in).
Dalophis obtusirostris is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Mauritania and Senegal. It inhabits estuaries and forms burrows in sand or mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 38.8 centimetres.
Ethadophis epinepheli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from a single specimen recovered from the stomach of a grouper in Senegal, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to reach a total length of 42.4 centimetres.
Hemerorhinus opici is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache and Marie-Louise Bauchot in 1972. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal and Angola. It inhabits shallow waters near to shore, and forms burrows in sand and mud substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 32.5 centimetres (12.8 in).
Mystriophis crosnieri, known commonly as the spoon-nose eel in the United Kingdom, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1971. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal, Angola, and the western Mediterranean. It dwells at a depth range of 75 to 300 metres, and forms burrows in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 96.5 centimetres (38.0 in).
Ophichthus leonensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from a single specimen found in the stomach of a fish taken from a depth of 180 metres (590 ft) in Sierra Leone, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is presumed to form burrows in sand or mud, as is common amongst eels. Males are known to reach a total length of 23.2 centimetres (9.1 in).
Xyrias guineensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jacques Blache in 1975, originally under the genus Ophisurus. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Pointe Noire, Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft), and inhabits burrows formed in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 63.6 centimetres (25.0 in).
Marie-Louise Bauchot is a French ichthyologist and assistant manager of the National Museum of Natural History, France.
