Surf eel | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Anguilliformes |
Family: | Ophichthidae |
Genus: | Ichthyapus |
Species: | I. ophioneus |
Binomial name | |
Ichthyapus ophioneus | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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The surf eel (Ichthyapus ophioneus), also known as the Finless snake eel in the United States, [3] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). [4] It was described by Barton Warren Evermann and Millard Caleb Marsh in 1900, originally under the genus Sphagebranchus . [5] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Bermuda, the Bahamas, Florida, USA; Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, northern South America, and St. Helena Island. It dwells at a maximum depth of 35 metres (115 ft), most often between 5 and 15 metres (16 and 49 ft), and forms burrows in sand bottoms in surf areas, from which its common name is derived. Males can reach a maximum total length of 45 centimetres (18 in). [4]