Ophichthidae

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Ophichthidae
Temporal range: 56–0  Ma
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Early Eocene to Present [1]
Aprognathodon platyventris - pone.0010676.g015.png
Aprognathodon platyventris
Myrichthys ocellatus - pone.0010676.g017.png
Myrichthys ocellatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Suborder: Congroidei
Family: Ophichthidae
Günther, 1870
Subfamilies

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. [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.

Genera

Currently, 62 recognized genera are placed in this family:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elopomorpha</span> Superorder of fishes

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.

<i>Gymnothorax</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Uropterygius</i> Genus of fishes

Uropterygius is a genus of moray eels in the family Muraenidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eel</span> Order of fishes

Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes, which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage and are usually predators.

<i>Apterichtus</i> Genus of fishes

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:

<i>Brachysomophis</i> Genus of fishes

Brachysomophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.

<i>Callechelys</i> Genus of fishes

Callechelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following fifteen species:

Ichthyapus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.

<i>Muraenichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Muraenichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.

<i>Myrophis</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Ophichthus</i> Genus of fishes

Ophichthus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.

<i>Pseudomyrophis</i> Genus of fishes

Pseudomyrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:

<i>Scolecenchelys</i> Genus of eels

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrophinae</span>

Myrophinae, the worm eels, is a subfamily of ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Ophichthidae, which also includes the snake eels in the subfamily Ophichthinae.

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 the genus Sympenchelys.

Pylorobranchus hearstorum, the gigantic worm eel, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Myrophinae, the worm eels, in the family Ophichthidae, which also includes the snake eels. This species is known from a single specimen, the holotype collected from the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines at 13.583-13.575°N, 120.382-120.411°E from a depth between 892 and 966 m. The species was described in 2014 by the American marine biologist John E. McCosker. The specific name honours the friends of McCosker and philanthropists William and Margaret Hearst, who sponsored the expedition the holotype was collected on. This single known specimen of this species had a total length of 121.8 cm (48.0 in).

References

  1. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Ophichthidae". FishBase . June 2016 version.
  2. ↑ Goodson, G. (1988). Fishes of the Pacific Coast: Alaska to Peru, Including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press. p. 238. ISBN   978-0804713856.
  3. 1 2 Fricke, R., Golani, D. & Appelbaum-Golani, B. (2015): Suculentophichthus nasus, a new genus and new species of snake eel from the northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea (Teleostei: Ophichthidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 16: 56–66.
  4. 1 2 McCosker, J.E. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes, Second Edition. Academic Press. pp. 87–89. ISBN   978-0125476652.
  5. ↑ McCosker, J.E., Loh, K.-H., Lin, J. & Chen, H.-M. (2012): Pylorobranchus hoi, a New Genus and Species of Myrophine Worm-Eel from Taiwan (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Zoological Studies, 51 (7): 1188–1194.
  6. ↑ Hibino, Y., Ho, H.-C. & Kimura, S. (2015): A new genus and species of worm eels, Sympenchelys taiwanensis (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Myrophinae), from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Zootaxa, 4060 (1): 41–48.
  7. ↑ McCosker, J.E. & Okamoto, M. (2016): Chauligenion camelopardalis, a New Genus and Species of Deepwater Snake Eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the East China Sea. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 63 (9): 321–328.
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