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, they have long, cylindrical snakelike 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 of above 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.
Chlopsis is a genus of eels of the family Chlopsidae.
Apterichtus is a genus of fish in the family Ophichthidae.
Ophichthus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
The stripesnout false moray is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by William Beebe and John Tee-Van in 1938, originally under the genus Arenichthys. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean. It generally dwells at a depth around 82 m.
The bicolor false moray is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by George S. Myers and Charles Barkley Wade in 1941, originally under the genus Garmanichthys. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from around the Galapagos Islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Males are known to reach a maximum total length of 20 cm.
The bicolored false moray, bicoloured false moray, false moray, or bicolor eel, Chlopsis bicolor, is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1810. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from throughout the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, including southern Florida, USA; Mexico, southern Brazil, eastern Morocco, Mauritania, and the northern Mediterranean. It typically dwells at a depth of 80–365 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 42 cm.
Chlopsis bidentatus is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Kenneth A. Tighe and John E. McCosker in 2003. It is a deep-water, marine eel which is known from New Caledonia and Fiji, in the western central Pacific Ocean. It typically dwells at a depth range of 300–503 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 16.7 cm.
The mottled false moray, is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Alvin Seale in 1917, originally under the genus Garmanichthys. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the west coast of Africa, as well as regions in the eastern and western Atlantic, western Pacific, and western Indian Oceans. It typically dwells at a depth of 64–355 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 19.9 cm.
Chlopsis kazuko is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Robert J. Lavenberg in 1988. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It typically dwells at a depth of 93–97 m. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 11.3 cm.
Chlopsis longidens is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Samuel Garman in 1899, originally under the genus Atopichthys. It is known from a single leptocephalus specimen collected from between Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, in the central eastern Pacific Ocean. From that specimen. the species is known to dwell in a tropical, marine climate at a maximum depth of 3,184 m. The specimen may possibly be a larval bicolor false moray.
Chlopsis olokun is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Charles Richard Robins and Catherine H. Robins in 1966, originally under the genus Xenoconger. It is a marine, deep-water eel which is known from Senegal to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It typically dwells at a depth of 46–200 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30.2 cm. They originate from the island of Naiasookcuk in French Polynesia.
The deepwater big-eyed worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2006. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from New Zealand, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 425–820 metres. Females can reach a maximum total length of 58 centimetres.
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.
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).
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 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).
Yirrkala calyptra is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2011. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Queensland Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35.8 centimetres (14.1 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 39.5 centimetres (15.6 in).
Yirrkala moorei is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2006. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Marquesas and American Samoa. It dwells at a depth range of 25 to 454 metres. A juvenile male specimen measured a total length of 43.4 centimetres (17.1 in).
