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.
Heteroconger cobra, sometimes known as the cobra garden eel, is a species of garden eel of the family Congridae, found in the western Central Pacific from Honiara, the Solomon Islands to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.
The spotted garden eel is a species of heteroconger belonging to the family Congridae. It is native to the Indo-Pacific.
Gorgasia preclara, the splendid garden eel or orange-barred garden eel, is a species of marine garden eel.
Centropyge eibli, the blacktail angelfish, red stripe angelfish, orangelined angelfish, or Eibl dwarf angel is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found near reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
The garden eels are the subfamily Heterocongrinae in the conger eel family Congridae. The majority of the 36 known species of garden eels live in the Indo-Pacific, but can be found in warm ocean water worldwide. These small eels live in burrows on the sea floor and get their name from the behavior of poking their heads from their burrows while most of their bodies remain hidden. Since they tend to live in groups, the many eel heads "growing" from the sea floor resemble the plants in a garden. They vary in color and size depending on the species. The largest species reaches about 120 cm (47 in) in length, but most species do not surpass 60 cm (24 in). Garden eel colonies can grow as large as one acre in surface area and number up to several thousand individuals.
Wolfgang Klausewitz was a German zoologist, ichthyologist, marine biologist and biohistorian.
The Hawaiian garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by John Ernest Randall and James Robert Chess in 1980. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Hawaiian archipelago, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is non-migratory, and is thought to be restricted to the region. It dwells at a depth range of 11 to 53 metres, and leads a benthic life, forming burrows in sand. Males can reach a maximum standard length of 59.8 centimetres (23.5 in).
The whitespotted garden eel, also known as the Indian spaghetti eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Wolfgang Klausewitz and Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1959. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Western Pacific, including Maldives, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, the Cocos Islands, Comoros, India, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. It dwells at a depth range of 25 to 48 metres, and lives in non-migratory colonies that form burrows on sandy slopes, usually near coral reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimetres (28 in).
Heteroconger balteatus is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known to dwell at a minimum depth of 46 m (151 ft), and inhabits regions of current, where it forms burrows in sand. It enters its burrows tail-first. Females can reach a maximum total length of 33.1 cm.
The Galapagos garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt and Friedmann Köster in 1983, originally under the genus Taenioconger. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Colombia, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, and Panama. It dwells at a depth of 10 to 30 m, and lives in large, nonmigratory colonies in clean, sandy substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 cm.
Heteroconger mercyae, or Mercy's garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Gerald R. Allen and Mark van Nydeck Erdmann in 2009. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and possibly New Britain. It is known to dwell at a depth of 4 to 10 m, and inhabit sediments of silt-like sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 67.8 cm (26.7 in).
Heteroconger obscurus, the obscure garden eel, is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Wolfgang Klausewitz and Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt in 1959, originally under the genus Xarifania. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Indian Ocean, including the Nicobar Islands in India, and Andaman Island. It is known to dwell at a maximum depth of 15 m (49 ft), and inhabits silty sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 33.6 cm.
The black garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John Ernest Randall in 1981. It is a tropical, nonmigratory marine eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, including Ambon (Indonesia), Negros (Philippines), and the Andaman Islands (India). It dwells at a depth range of 1–35 m. It leads a benthic lifestyle, and inhabits sand or mud, living solitary or in colonies. Males can reach a maximum total length of 53.7 cm (21.1 in).
The zebra garden eel, also known as the banded garden eel, is a species of eel in the conger/garden eels family Congridae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1868. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Western Pacific, including the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, New Guinea, Indonesia and Vanuatu. It inhabits shallow waters at a depth range of 1 to 10 m, and forms burrows in colonies of moderate size on sand sediments in bays, slopes and reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 34.7 cm.
Taylor's garden-eel is a heteroconger belonging to the family Congridae. It is native to the central Indo-Pacific.
Heteroconger tomberua is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1995. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Fiji and possibly New Caledonia, the Philippines, the Nicobar Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka. It is known to dwell at a depth of 36 m (118 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 42.8 cm.
Tricia's garden eel is an eel in the family Congridae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John Ernest Randall in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Flores, Indonesia, in the eastern Indian Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 49.6 cm (19.5 in).
Hoplolatilus is a genus of tilefishes native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. The chameleon tilefish (Hoplolatilus chlupatyi), also known as the flashing tilefish, is well known in particular in the aquarium hobby due to its unique ability to change colors in an instant with the help of specialized proteins in its skin that can reflect light in different wavelengths, allowing it to cycle between primary and secondary colors on the light spectrum.
