Ophichthidae | |
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Aprognathodon platyventris | |
Myrichthys ocellatus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Anguilliformes |
Suborder: | Congroidei |
Family: | Ophichthidae Günther, 1870 |
Subfamilies | |
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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, snake-like bodies. [2] 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). [3] Most species are bottom dwellers, hiding in mud or sand to capture their prey of crustaceans and small fish, but some are pelagic. [4]
These species range in total length from 5 cm (2.0 in) to 2.3 m (7.5 ft) or more . Many species lack fins altogether, improving their ability to burrow into the substrate like worms. They are often spotted or striped in colour, mimicking the appearance of venomous sea snakes to deter predators. [4] Often, they are washed ashore by large storms.
Currently, 62 recognized genera are placed in this family:
The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery-colored species, such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the Elopiformes and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth-bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic uniting this group of fishes is they all have leptocephalus larvae, which are unique to the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.
Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.
Uropterygius is a genus of moray eels in the family Muraenidae.
Apterichtus is a genus of fish in the family Ophichthidae. Many of its species are called finless eels.
Bascanichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Brachysomophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Callechelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following fifteen species:
Gordiichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Ichthyapus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Muraenichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Myrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Neenchelys is a genus of snake eels native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. All species of Neenchelys have two rather than three preopercular pores, a significant character among many species of ophichthids.
Ophichthus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Pseudomyrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Scolecenchelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Skythrenchelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Skythrenchelys macrostoma, also known as the Large-mouth angry worm eel is a species of eel in the family Ophichthidae. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, including Red Sea.
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 (20 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).
Sympenchelys taiwanensis, also known as the Taiwanese worm eel is a species of ophichthid fish found in Taiwan. This species is only known from northeastern and southwestern Taiwan. This species is the only member of its genus.
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