Collared eel

The collared eel[2] (Kaupichthys nuchalis) is an eel in the family Chlopsidae.[3] It was described by James Erwin Böhlke in 1967.[4] It is a tropical, marine eel known from coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean, including Texas, USA; the Bahamas, the Antilles, northern South America, the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is a benthic, solitary eel that primarily resides in tubular sponges. Males can reach a maximum total length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in).[3]

Collared eel
Kaupichthys nuchalis under normal illumination
Biofluorescence of Kaupichthys nuchalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Chlopsidae
Genus: Kaupichthys
Species:
K. nuchalis
Binomial name
Kaupichthys nuchalis

The collared eel exhibits biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated by blue or ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as orange, and appears differently than under white light illumination. Biofluorescence may assist in intraspecific communication and camouflage.[5]

References
  1. Tighe, K. (2015). Kaupichthys nuchalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T190473A1952839.en
  2. Common names for Kaupichthys nuchalis at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Kaupichthys nuchalis at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Böhlke, J. E. (1967). "The descriptions of three new eels from the tropical west Atlantic". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 118 (4): 91–108. JSTOR 4064593.
  5. Sparks, John S.; Schelly, Robert C.; Smith, W. Leo; Davis, Matthew P.; Tchernov, Dan; Pieribone, Vincent A.; Gruber, David F. (2014). "The Covert World of Fish Biofluorescence: A Phylogenetically Widespread and Phenotypically Variable Phenomenon". PLoS ONE. 9 (1): e83259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083259. PMC 3885428. PMID 24421880.
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