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.
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.
Scolecenchelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
Skythrenchelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae.
The longfin worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, Eugenia Brandt Böhlke and James Erwin Böhlke in 1989. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Colombia, in the western central Atlantic Ocean. It is known to dwell within one meter of the surface.
Neenchelys daedalus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1982. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Pacific Ocean, including Papua New Guinea and Japan.
The McCosker's worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Yusuke Hibino, Ho Hsuan-Ching, and Seishi Kimura in 2012. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the northwestern Pacific Ocean, including Taiwan and Japan. It dwells at a depth range of 100 to 400 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle; it is collected by bottom trawlers. Males can reach a maximum total length of 52.2 centimetres (20.6 in).
The Diminutive worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, Eugenia Brandt Böhlke and James Erwin Böhlke in 1989. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean.
The deepwater big-eyed worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2006. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from New Zealand, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 425–820 metres. Females can reach a maximum total length of 58 centimetres.
The angry worm eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John E. McCosker in 1999. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Indian and western central Pacific Ocean, including India, Indonesia, the Straits of Malacca, northern Australia, and the Philippines. It is known to inhabit shallow, turbid estuaries, and to a lesser extent the deeper water over soft substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 29.6 centimetres.
Bascanichthys inopinatus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, Eugenia Brandt Böhlke, and James Erwin Böhlke in 1989. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean.
Callechelys randalli is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1998. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Marquesan Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to inhabit sand at a depth of 35 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 46.4 centimetres.
The Irksone eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker, Eugenia Brandt Böhlke, and James Erwin Böhlke in 1989. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from a single specimen discovered in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, in the western central Atlantic Ocean. From the holotype, it is known to dwell at a depth range of 10 to 189 meters.
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.
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).
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.
Yirrkala insolitus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 1999. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from New Caledonia, in the western Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 59 metres (194 ft). Females can reach a maximum total length of 25.8 centimetres (10.2 in).
Yirrkala moorei is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2006. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Pacific Ocean, including Marquesas and American Samoa. It dwells at a depth range of 25 to 454 metres. A juvenile male specimen measured a total length of 43.4 centimetres (17.1 in).
Yirrkala ori is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker in 2011. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from South Africa, in the western Indian Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits substrates with coarse sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 43.8 centimetres (17.2 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 35.3 centimetres (13.9 in).
