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.
Henry Weed Fowler was an American zoologist born in Holmesburg, Pennsylvania.
Pylorobranchus hoi is a species of worm eel known from the waters off of eastern Taiwan. Lengths of 67.6 centimetres (26.6 in) TL for a female specimen and 56.8 centimetres (22.4 in) TL for a male specimen have been recorded.
Pylorobranchus is a genus of worm eel known from the waters off of eastern Taiwan and from the Philippines.
The Indo-Pacific shorttail conger, also known as the short-tail conger, is an eel in the family Colocongridae. It was described by Chan William Lai-Yee in 1967. It is a marine, deep-water dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including southern Mozambique, Natal, South Africa, the South China Sea, and eastern Australia. It dwells at a maximum depth of 810 metres (2,660 ft). Males are known to reach a maximum total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
Scolecenchelys puhioilo is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1979, originally under the genus Muraenichthys. The specific name puhioilo is derived from Hawaiian puhi oilo, which refers to "small eels about as large in diameter as a finger".
The snaggle-toothed snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and David Ross Robertson in 2001. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from Panama, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. From the specimen it is known to dwell at a depth range of 5–10 metres, and reach a maximum total length of 104 centimetres. Based on other eel species it is estimated to inhabit burrows on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, and feed on small fish and crustaceans.
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.
Brachysomophis longipinnis is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and John Ernest Randall in 2001. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from a single specimen collected from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 50 metres, and is known to reach a total length of 42.1 centimetres.
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.
Cirrhimuraena yuanding is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Tang Wen-Qiao and Zhang Chun-Guang in 2003. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the East China Sea, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 52 centimetres.
Cirricaecula macdowelli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and John Ernest Randall in 1993. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 22.8 centimetres.
The Ordinary eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt and John E. McCosker. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from a sandbank in the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean, during low tide. From the holotype, it is known to reach a total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
The Snack eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt and John E. McCosker in 1970. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from a single specimen discovered in Mexico, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. From the holotype, which was found in the stomach of a White seabass, males are known to reach a total length of 53 centimetres (21 in).
Ophichthus asakusae is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and John Otterbein Snyder in 1901. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from Japan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimetres (28 in).
Ophichthus genie is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1999. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including New Caledonia and Maldives. It dwells at a depth range of 430 to 500 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 33.7 centimetres (13.3 in).
Ophichthus humanni 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, in the western Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 254 to 300 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 66.9 centimetres (26.3 in).
Ophichthus machidai is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, S. Ide, and Hiromitsu Endo in 2012.
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).
Ophichthus shaoi, the long-bodied snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It is found around Taiwan. This species reaches a length of 62.3 cm (24.5 in).
