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.
Ophichthus is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Callechelys galapagensis, the Galapagos ridgefin eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1972. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from four specimens collected from the Galapagos Islands, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It inhabits coral, sand and rock.
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.
The highfin snake eel (Ophichthus altipennis, also known as the blackfin snake eel or the black-finned snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Microdonophis. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern Indian Ocean and northwestern and western central Pacific Ocean, including Australia, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 40 m, and forms burrows in soft inshore sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 103 cm.
Ophichthus aniptocheilos is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel known from Tonga, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 391 to 421 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 14.2 cm (5.6 in).
The thin snake eel 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 known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Colombia. It is known from two specimens observed dwelling in sand at a depth range of 0 to 8 m. The maximum length recorded was 23.1 cm (9.1 in), albeit on an immature specimen.
The dark deepwater snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Chen Yu-Yun in 2000. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 36–1350 m, and inhabits sand and mud. Specimens have been observed in burrows with only their heads exposed, or resting on sediment with their bodies curved in an S shape. Females can reach a maximum total length of 62.8 cm.
Ophichthus arneutes is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Galapagos Islands, in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 434 to 557 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30.6 cm (12.0 in).
Ophichthus congroides is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Tuamotu Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 52.2 centimetres (20.6 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 47.2 centimetres (18.6 in).
Ophichthus hirritus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Seychelles Islands, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 600 metres (2,000 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 52.8 centimetres (20.8 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 53.4 centimetres (21.0 in).
The faintsaddled snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Eugenia Brandt Böhlke in 1984. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 108 meters.
Ophichthus kunaloa is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1979. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from the Hawaiian Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 220 to 475 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting fine sand sediments and crevices in harder substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 47.3 centimetres (18.6 in).
Ophichthus lentiginosus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Vanuatu and New Caledonia, in the western central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 400 metres (1,300 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 62.8 centimetres (24.7 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 56.3 centimetres (22.2 in).
Ophichthus longipenis, known commonly as the slender snake eel in Mexico, 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 Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 69 metres, and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 58.7 centimetres (23.1 in).
The longarmed snake eel 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 Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 24 to 79 metres, and inhabits soft substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27.4 centimetres (10.8 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).
Ophichthus microstictus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Tonga, Fiji, and New Caledonia. It dwells at a depth range of 362 to 450 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 48.9 centimetres (19.3 in).
The dottedline snake eel is a species of eels in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Eugenia Brandt Böhlke in 1984. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 183 meters.
Ophichthus tomioi is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, the Seychelles Islands, Marquesas, and Fiji. It dwells at a depth range of 300 to 423 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 44.7 centimetres (17.6 in).
