Dark-shouldered snake eel
| Dark-shouldered snake eel | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. cephalozona |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The Dark-shouldered snake eel (Ophichthus cephalozona, also known commonly as the Headsaddle snake eel, the Black-neck snake eel, the Blacksaddle snake eel, or the One-banded snake-eel[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1864.[4] It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Pacific Ocean, including the East Indies, the Society Islands, the Mariana Islands, Queensland, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Japan, and India. It dwells at a depth range of 2–15 metres, and inhabits reefs. It forms burrows in mud and sand, and forages during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 115 centimetres.[3]
The Dark-shouldered snake eel is of no commercial interest to fisheries, but is sometimes caught in nets in the Ryukyu Islands.[3]
References
- ↑ Synonyms of Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Common names for Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- 1 2 3 Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Bleeker, P., 1864-65 [ref. 4860] Atlas ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises, publié sous les auspices du Gouvernement colonial néêrlandaises. Tome IV. Murènes, Synbranches, Leptocéphales. v. 4: 1-150, Pls. 145-193.