Ophichthus longipenis, known commonly as the slender snake eel in Mexico,[1] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.[4] It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 69 metres (0 to 226 ft), and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 58.7 centimetres (23.1 in).[2]
| Ophichthus longipenis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. longipenis
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus longipenis J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998
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The species epithet "longipenis" means "long tail" in Latin.[2] Due to its moderately wide distribution in its region, its lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists O. longipenis as Least Concern.[4]
References edit
- ^ Common names of Ophichthus longipenis at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b c Ophichthus longipenis at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ McCosker, J. E. and R. H. Rosenblatt, 1998 (18 Dec.) [ref. 23645] A revision of the eastern Pacific snake-eel genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) with the description of six new species. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences v. 50 (no. 19): 397-432.
- ^ a b Ophichthus longipenis at the IUCN redlist.
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