Redfin worm-eel

The redfin worm-eel (Scolecenchelys laticaudata, also known as the pearlbelly snake-eel[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1897, originally under the genus Myropterura.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Red Sea, East and South Africa, Ducie Island, and Lord Howe Island. It dwells at a depth range of 1 to 26 metres (3.3 to 85.3 ft), and inhabits lagoons and reefs, forming colonies in sand sediments in confined areas. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres (14 in).[2]

Redfin worm-eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Anguilliformes
Family:
Ophichthidae
Genus:
Scolecenchelys
Species:
S. laticaudata
Binomial name
Scolecenchelys laticaudata
(Ogilby, 1897)
Synonyms
  • Myropterura laticaudata Ogilby, 1897
  • Muraenichthys laticaudata (Ogilby, 1897)
  • Muraenichthys laticaudatus (Ogilby, 1897)

References
  1. Common names of Scolecenchelys laticaudata at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Scolecenchelys laticaudata at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Ogilby, J. D., 1897 (25 Oct.) [ref. 3273] Some new genera and species of fishes. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v. 22 (pt 2): 245-251.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.