Ophichthidae

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Ophichthidae
Temporal range: 56–0  Ma
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Early Eocene to Present [1]
Aprognathodon platyventris - pone.0010676.g015.png
Aprognathodon platyventris
Myrichthys ocellatus - pone.0010676.g017.png
Myrichthys ocellatus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Suborder: Congroidei
Family: Ophichthidae
Günther, 1870
Subfamilies

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, they have long, cylindrical, snake-like bodies. [2] 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). [3] Most species are bottom dwellers, hiding in mud or sand to capture their prey of crustaceans and small fish, but some are pelagic. [4]

These species range in total length from 5 cm (2.0 in) to 2.3 m (7.5 ft) or more . Many species lack fins altogether, improving their ability to burrow into the substrate like worms. They are often spotted or striped in colour, mimicking the appearance of venomous sea snakes to deter predators. [4] Often, they are washed ashore by large storms.

Genera

Currently, 62 recognized genera are placed in this family:

Related Research Articles

Elopomorpha Superorder of fishes

The superorder Elopomorpha contains a variety of types of fishes that range from typical silvery-colored species, such as the tarpons and ladyfishes of the Elopiformes and the bonefishes of the Albuliformes, to the long and slender, smooth-bodied eels of the Anguilliformes. The one characteristic uniting this group of fishes is they all have leptocephalus larvae, which are unique to the Elopomorpha. No other fishes have this type of larvae.

<i>Gymnothorax</i> Genus of fishes

Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.

<i>Uropterygius</i> Genus of fishes

Uropterygius is a genus of moray eels in the family Muraenidae.

<i>Apterichtus</i> Genus of fishes

Apterichtus is a genus of fish in the family Ophichthidae. Many of its species are called finless eels.

Bascanichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:

<i>Brachysomophis</i> Genus of fishes

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

Callechelys Genus of fishes

Callechelys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following fifteen species:

Gordiichthys is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:

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

<i>Muraenichthys</i> Genus of fishes

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

Myrophis Genus of fishes

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

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.

<i>Ophichthus</i> Genus of fishes

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

Pseudomyrophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:

<i>Scolecenchelys</i> Genus of fishes

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

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

Skythrenchelys macrostoma, also known as the Large-mouth angry worm eel is a species of eel in the family Ophichthidae. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, including Red Sea.

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 (20 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).

Sympenchelys taiwanensis, also known as the Taiwanese worm eel is a species of ophichthid fish found in Taiwan. This species is only known from northeastern and southwestern Taiwan. This species is the only member of its genus.

References

  1. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2016). "Ophichthidae" in FishBase. June 2016 version.
  2. ↑ Goodson, G. (1988). Fishes of the Pacific Coast: Alaska to Peru, Including the Gulf of California and the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press. p. 238. ISBN   978-0804713856.
  3. 1 2 Fricke, R., Golani, D. & Appelbaum-Golani, B. (2015): Suculentophichthus nasus, a new genus and new species of snake eel from the northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea (Teleostei: Ophichthidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 16: 56–66.
  4. 1 2 McCosker, J.E. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes, Second Edition. Academic Press. pp. 87–89. ISBN   978-0125476652.
  5. ↑ McCosker, J.E., Loh, K.-H., Lin, J. & Chen, H.-M. (2012): Pylorobranchus hoi, a New Genus and Species of Myrophine Worm-Eel from Taiwan (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Zoological Studies, 51 (7): 1188-1194.
  6. ↑ Hibino, Y., Ho, H.-C. & Kimura, S. (2015): A new genus and species of worm eels, Sympenchelys taiwanensis (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae: Myrophinae), from the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Zootaxa, 4060 (1): 41–48.
  7. ↑ McCosker, J.E. & Okamoto, M. (2016): Chauligenion camelopardalis, a New Genus and Species of Deepwater Snake Eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from the East China Sea. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 63 (9): 321-328.
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