Ophichthus

Ophichthus
	Ophichthus puncticeps
	Ophichthus urolophus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Subfamily:	Ophichthinae
Genus:	Ophichthus ; J. N. Ahl, 1789
Type species
	Muraena ophis; Linnaeus, 1758

Last updated October 10, 2025

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

Species

There are currently around 80 recognized species in this genus:

Ophichthus alleni J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus altipennis (Kaup, 1856) (High-fin snake eel)
Ophichthus aniptocheilos J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus apachus J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 (Thin snake eel)
Ophichthus aphotistos J. E. McCosker & Y. Y. Chen, 2000 (Dark deep-water snake eel)
Ophichthus apicalis (Anonymous, referred to E. T. Bennett, 1830) (Blunt-nose snake eel)
Ophichthus arneutes J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998
Ophichthus asakusae D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901
Ophichthus bicolor J. E. McCosker & H. C. Ho, 2015 (Bicolored snake eel) ^[1]
Ophichthus bonaparti (Kaup, 1856) (Napoleon snake eel)
Ophichthus brachynotopterus Karrer, 1982
Ophichthus brasiliensis (Kaup, 1856)
Ophichthus brevicaudatus Y. T. Chu, H. L. Wu & X. B. Jin, 1981
Ophichthus brevirostris J. E. McCosker & S. W. Ross, 2007 (Snub-nose snake eel)
Ophichthus celebicus (Bleeker, 1856)
Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864 (Dark-shouldered snake eel)
Ophichthus congroides J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus cruentifer (Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896) (Margined snake eel)
Ophichthus cylindroideus (Ranzani, 1839) (Dusky snake eel)
Ophichthus echeloides (D'Ancona, 1928)
Ophichthus erabo (D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901) (Blotched snake eel)
Ophichthus exourus J. E. McCosker, 1999
Ophichthus fasciatus (Y. T. Chu, H. L. Wu & X. B. Jin, 1981)
Ophichthus fowleri (D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1903) (Fowler's snake eel)
Ophichthus frontalis Garman, 1899 (Death-banded snake eel)
Ophichthus genie J. E. McCosker, 1999
Ophichthus gomesii (Castelnau, 1855) (Shrimp snake eel)
Ophichthus grandoculis (Cantor, 1849)
Ophichthus hirritus J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus humanni J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus hyposagmatus J. E. McCosker & E. B. Böhlke, 1984 (Faint-saddled snake eel)
Ophichthus ishiyamorum J. E. McCosker, 2010

Ophichthus kbalanensis Y. Hibino, H.-C. Ho, J. F. Huang ^[2]

Ophichthus kunaloa J. E. McCosker, 1979
Ophichthus kusanagi Y. Hibino, J. E. McCosker, Tashiro ,^[3]
Ophichthus lentiginosus J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus leonensis Blache, 1975
Ophichthus limkouensis J. S. T. F. Chen, 1929
Ophichthus lithinus (D. S. Jordan & R. E. Richardson, 1908) (Evermann's snake eel)
Ophichthus longicorpus (V. Q. Vo & H.-C. Ho, 2021) (Long-body snake eel)
Ophichthus longipenis J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 (Slender snake eel)
Ophichthus lupus Y. Hibino, J. E. McCosker, Tashiro ,^[3]
Ophichthus machidai J. E. McCosker, S. Ide & Endo, 2012 (Machida's snake eel) ^[4]
Ophichthus macrochir (Bleeker, 1853) (Big-fin snake eel)
Ophichthus macrops Günther, 1910
Ophichthus maculatus (Rafinesque, 1810)
Ophichthus manilensis Herre, 1923
Ophichthus marginatus (W. K. H. Peters, 1855) (Short-head snake eel)
Ophichthus mecopterus J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 (Long-armed snake eel)
Ophichthus megalops Asano, 1987
Ophichthus melanoporus Kanazawa, 1963 (Black-pored snake eel)
Ophichthus melope J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998
Ophichthus menezesi J. E. McCosker & E. B. Böhlke, 1984
Ophichthus microstictus J. E. McCosker, 2010

Ophichthus multidentis Y. Hibino, H.-C. Ho, J. F. Huang ^[2]

Ophichthus mystacinus J. E. McCosker, 1999
Ophichthus naga J. E. McCosker & Psomadakis, 2018
Ophichthus obtusus J. E. McCosker, S. Ide & Endo, 2012 (Pug-nosed snake eel) ^[4]
Ophichthus oligosteus Y. Hibino, J. E. McCosker, Tashiro ,^[3]
Ophichthus omorgmus J. E. McCosker & E. B. Böhlke, 1984 (Dotted-line snake eel)
Ophichthus ophis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Spotted snake eel)
Ophichthus polyophthalmus Bleeker, 1864 (Many-eyed snake eel)
Ophichthus pullus J. E. McCosker, 2005
Ophichthus puncticeps (Kaup, 1860) (Pale-spotted snake eel)
Ophichthus remiger (Valenciennes, 1837) (Punctuated snake eel)
Ophichthus retrodorsalis D. Liu, W. Q. Tang & C. G. Zhang, 2010
Ophichthus rex E. B. Böhlke & J. H. Caruso, 1980 (King snake eel)
Ophichthus roseus S. Tanaka (I), 1917
Ophichthus rotundus C. L. Lee & Asano, 1997
Ophichthus rufus (Rafinesque, 1810) (Rufus snake eel)
Ophichthus rugifer D. S. Jordan & Bollman, 1890
Ophichthus rutidoderma (Bleeker, 1853) (Olive snake eel)
Ophichthus serpentinus Seale, 1917
Ophichthus shaoi J. E. McCosker & H. C. Ho, 2015 (Long-bodied snake eel) ^[1]
Ophichthus singapurensis Bleeker, 1864
Ophichthus spinicauda (Norman, 1922) (Antillean snake eel)
Ophichthus stenopterus Cope, 1871
Ophichthus tchangi W. Q. Tang & C. G. Zhang, 2002
Ophichthus tetratrema J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998
Ophichthus tomioi J. E. McCosker, 2010
Ophichthus triserialis (Kaup, 1856) (Pacific snake eel)
Ophichthus tsuchidae D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1901
Ophichthus unicolor Regan, 1908 (Plain snake eel)
Ophichthus urolophus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Mane-tail snake eel)
Ophichthus vietnamensis V. Q. Vo, Y. Hibino & H.C. Ho, 2019
Ophichthus woosuitingi J. S. T. F. Chen, 1929
Ophichthus yamakawai Y. Hibino, J. E. McCosker, Tashiro ,^[3]
Ophichthus zophochir D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1882 (Yellow snake eel)

References

1 2 McCosker, J.E.; Ho, H.-C. (2015). "New species of the snake eels Echelus and Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Taiwan" (PDF). Zootaxa. 4060 (1): 71–85. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4060.1.11. PMID 26701593.
1 2 Hibino Y, Ho H-C, Huang J-F (2024) Descriptions of two new dark-body snake eels of the genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) from Taiwan. In: Ho H-C, Russell B, Hibino Y, Lee M-Y (Eds) Biodiversity and taxonomy of fishes in Taiwan and adjacent waters. ZooKeys 1220: 63-78. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1220.126337
1 2 3 4 Four new deepwater Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Japan with a redescription of Ophichthus pallens (Richardson 1848), Y Hibino, JE McCosker, F Tashiro - Ichthyological Research, 2019
1 2 McCosker, J.E., Ide, S. & Endo, H. (2012): Three new species of ophichthid eels (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Science, Ser. A., Supplement No. 6: 1-16.

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[Mccosker2015-1] 1 2 McCosker, J.E.; Ho, H.-C. (2015). "New species of the snake eels Echelus and Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Taiwan" (PDF). Zootaxa. 4060 (1): 71–85. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4060.1.11. PMID 26701593.

[Hibino2-2] 1 2 Hibino Y, Ho H-C, Huang J-F (2024) Descriptions of two new dark-body snake eels of the genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) from Taiwan. In: Ho H-C, Russell B, Hibino Y, Lee M-Y (Eds) Biodiversity and taxonomy of fishes in Taiwan and adjacent waters. ZooKeys 1220: 63-78. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1220.126337

[Hibino-3] 1 2 3 4 Four new deepwater Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Japan with a redescription of Ophichthus pallens (Richardson 1848), Y Hibino, JE McCosker, F Tashiro - Ichthyological Research, 2019

[McCosker2012-4] 1 2 McCosker, J.E., Ide, S. & Endo, H. (2012): Three new species of ophichthid eels (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Science, Ser. A., Supplement No. 6: 1-16.

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Ophichthus

Ophichthus puncticeps

Ophichthus urolophus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Subfamily:	Ophichthinae
Genus:	Ophichthus J. N. Ahl, 1789
Type species
Muraena ophis Linnaeus, 1758