Callechelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following fifteen species:
The whiptail conger, also known as the conger eel in Cuba, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951, originally under the genus Congrina. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States in the northern Gulf of Mexico and northern South America. It is known to dwell at a depth of 203 meters (666 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 61 centimeters (24 in).
The threadtail conger is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1954. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Guinea, the Gulf of Mexico and Suriname. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 44 to 384 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 38 centimeters (15 in).
The white-ring garden eel, also known as the Cape garden eel in Mexico, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Garry I. McTaggart-Cowan and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1974, originally under the genus Taenioconger. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 m (66 ft), and inhabits sand sediments near reefs, where it forms burrows in nonmigratory colonies. Males can reach a maximum total length of 80 cm.
The freckled pike-conger, also known as the silver conger, is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia, and towards the mouth of the Amazon River. It dwells at a depth range of 55–310 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 54.2 centimeters.
The spotted pike-conger, also known as the conger eel in Cuba, is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida, USA. It dwells at a depth range of 130 to 420 meters, and inhabits benthic sediments of mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 46 centimeters (18 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.
Callechelys bilinearis, the twostripe snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Robert H. Kanazawa in 1952. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including Bermuda, the West Indies, Lesser Antilles, St. Helena Island and Ascension Island. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 22 metres, most often at around 0 to 5 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 172.4 centimetres (67.9 in).
Callechelys bitaeniata is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Wilhelm Peters in 1877. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the western Indian Ocean, including Kenya, Mozambique and Seychelles. Males can reach a maximum total length of 82 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 galapagensis, the Galapagos 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 tropical, marine eel which is known from four specimens collected from the Galapagos Islands, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It inhabits coral, sand and rock.
Callechelys guineensis, the shorttail snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Balthazar Osório in 1893, originally under the genus Ophichthys. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Florida, USA, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Bahamas, Saint Barthélemy, Senegal, Lesser Antilles, and Cape Verde. It dwells at a depth range of 4 to 35 metres, and inhabits the continental shelf, where it forms burrows in sand and mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 108 centimetres (43 in).
Callechelys leucoptera is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jean Cadenat in 1954. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Senegal to Côte d'Ivoire. It is known to dwell at a depth of 45 metres. It inhabits shallow waters where it forms burrows in the sand, which are sometimes exposed during low tide. Males can reach a maximum total length of 73 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 50 centimetres.
Callechelys lutea, the freckled snake eel or yellow-spotted snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John Otterbein Snyder in 1904.
Callechelys muraena, the blotched snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann in 1887. It is a rare tropical, marine eel which is known from the western and northwestern Atlantic Ocean, including the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, and Canada. It dwells at a depth range of 27–115 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres.
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.
The spotted spoon-nose eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John Richardson in 1848. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina, USA, the northern Gulf of Mexico, and Brazil. It is known to dwell at a depth of 100 m (330 ft), and inhabits soft benthic sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 180 cm, but more commonly reach a TL of 150 cm.
Phaenomonas longissima, also known as the short-maned sand eel in St. Helena, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Jean Cadenat and Émile Marchal in 1963, originally under the genus Callechelys. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Atlantic Ocean, including Ascension Island, St. Helena, Brazil, Senegal, Ghana, and Cape Verde. It dwells at a depth range of 25 to 35 metres, and forms burrows in sand and mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 50 centimetres (20 in).
