Angry worm eel

The angry worm eel[1] (Skythrenchelys zabra) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Peter Henry John Castle and John E. McCosker in 1999.[3] 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.[2][4] It is known to inhabit shallow, turbid estuaries, and to a lesser extent the deeper water over soft substrates.[4] Males can reach a maximum total length of 29.6 centimetres.[2]

Angry worm eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Anguilliformes
Family:
Ophichthidae
Genus:
Skythrenchelys
Species:
S. zabra
Binomial name
Skythrenchelys zabra
Castle & McCosker, 1999

The species epithet "zabra" refers to the eel's ability to consume large prey.[2] Due to its wide distribution and variety of habitats, the IUCN redlist currently lists the angry worm eel as Least Concern.[4]

References
  1. Common names for Skythrenchelys zabra at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Skythrenchelys zabra at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Castle, P. H. J., and J. E. McCosker, 1999 (20 Oct) [ref. 24075] A new genus and two new species of Myrophine worm-eels, with comments on Muraenichthys and Scolecenchelys (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Records of the Australian Museum v. 51 (nos 2-3): 113-122.
  4. Skythrenchelys zabra at the IUCN redlist.


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