Ophichthus longipenis

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
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Anguilliformes
Family:
Ophichthidae
Genus:
Ophichthus
Species:
O. longipenis
Binomial name
Ophichthus longipenis
McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998

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
  1. Common names of Ophichthus longipenis at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Ophichthus longipenis at www.fishbase.org.
  3. 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.
  4. Ophichthus longipenis at the IUCN redlist.


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