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.
Callechelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following fifteen species:
The snaggle-toothed snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and David Ross Robertson in 2001. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from Panama, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. From the specimen it is known to dwell at a depth range of 5–10 metres, and reach a maximum total length of 104 centimetres. Based on other eel species it is estimated to inhabit burrows on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, and feed on small fish and crustaceans.
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.
Callechelys catostoma, the black-striped snake eel or dark band snake eel,) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider and Johann Reinhold Forster in 1801. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Society Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and Lord Howe Island. It dwells at a depth range of 1–32 metres, and inhabits reefs. It burrows into loose gravel and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 85 centimetres (33 in).
Callechelys cliffi, the sandy ridgefin eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John Carmon Briggs in 1954. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 30 metres, and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 45.5 centimetres (17.9 in).
Callechelys eristigma, the spotted ridgefin eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1972. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 5 to 25 metres, and inhabits benthic sediments of rock and sand. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 113 centimetres (44 in).
Callechelys papulosa, the blistered snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1998. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from Papua New Guinea, in the western central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 10 metres, and to inhabit regions of sand and grass. Males can reach a maximum total length of 55.1 centimetres.
Callechelys randalli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1998. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Marquesan Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to inhabit sand at a depth of 35 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 46.4 centimetres.
Callechelys springeri, the ridgefin eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951, originally under the genus Gordiichthys. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 22 to 36 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 80.1 centimeters (31.5 in).
The Indifferent eel is a species of eels in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and James Erwin Böhlke in 1984. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Panama, Nicaragua, Suriname, and Texas, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 55 to 58 meters.
The Ordinary eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt and John E. McCosker. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from a sandbank in the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean, during low tide. From the holotype, it is known to reach a total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
The Snack eel is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ophichthidae, the worm and snake eels. It was described by Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt and John E. McCosker in 1970. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from a single specimen discovered in Mexico, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. From the holotype, which was found in the stomach of a White seabass, males are known to reach a total length of 53 centimetres (21 in).
Gordiichthys combibus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Robert J. Lavenberg in 2001. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Colombia, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 0 to 2 metres, and inhabit shallow water. Males can reach a maximum total length of 40.6 centimetres (16.0 in).
The longfin spotted snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1993. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 44 to 64 metres, and inhabits sandy substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres.
The thin snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Colombia. It is known from two specimens observed dwelling in sand at a depth range of 0 to 8 m. The maximum length recorded was 23.1 cm (9.1 in), albeit on an immature specimen.
Ophichthus arneutes is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Galapagos Islands, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 434 to 557 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30.6 cm (12.0 in).
Ophichthus longipenis, known commonly as the slender snake eel in Mexico, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 69 metres, and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 58.7 centimetres (23.1 in).
The longarmed snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 24 to 79 metres, and inhabits soft substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27.4 centimetres (10.8 in).
Ophichthus melope is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Colombia and Costa Rica. It dwells at a depth range of 100 to 224 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres (11 in).
