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.
Siren is a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae. The genus consists of three living species, along with one extinct species from the Eocene Epoch and three from the Miocene.
Albert William Christian Theodore Herre was an American ichthyologist and lichenologist.
Macrognathus is a genus of eel-like fish of the family Mastacembelidae of the order Synbranchiformes.
Cirrhimuraena is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Muraenichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Pisodonophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Ariosoma obud is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean.
Heteroconger chapmani is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean. The holotype specimen measured 69 cm. The species is now considered unidentifiable due to the lack of detail in the author's description, and because the only known specimen was destroyed during World War II.
Bascanichthys myersi is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1932. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, in the Philippines.
Cirrhimuraena calamus, known commonly as the fringed-lipped snake-eel or the fringelip snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1870. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is endemic to western Australia, in the eastern Indian Ocean. It forms burrows in the soft bottoms of inshore waters.
Cirrhimuraena cheilopogon is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1860. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from Papua New Guinea, in the western central Pacific Ocean.
Cirrhimuraena oliveri is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Alvin Seale in 1910. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean.
Cirrhimuraena orientalis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Nguyen Khac Huong in 1993. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from Vietnam, in the western Pacific Ocean.
The fringelip snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert Günther in 1870. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kosi Bay, South Africa, and the Hawaiian Islands. Its lifestyle is mostly benthic but it sometimes swims at the surface. It is olive brown in colour, with lighter colouring in the ventral region. Males can reach a maximum total length of 39 centimetres (15 in).
Cirrhimuraena tapeinoptera is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1863. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-West Pacific.
Cirrhimuraena yuanding is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Tang Wen-Qiao and Zhang Chun-Guang in 2003. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the East China Sea, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 52 centimetres.
Lamnostoma taylori is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923, originally under the genus Caecula. It is a tropical, freshwater eel which is known from the Philippines in Asia, where it inhabits rivers near the sea. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 16.4 centimetres (6.5 in).
Ophichthus manilensis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1923. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean.
Pisodonophis copelandi is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Albert William Herre in 1953. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Philippines, in the western central Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 30.8 centimetres (12.1 in).
