Napoleon snake eel

The Napoleon snake eel (Ophichthus bonaparti, also known as the Napoleon eel, the Purplebanded snake eel, or the Saddled snake-eel[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Poecilocephalus.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Durban, South Africa, Mauritius, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and the Penghu Islands. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits lagoons and reefs; it forms solitary burrows in sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 75 centimetres (30 in).[3]

Napoleon snake eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Ophichthus
Species:
O. bonaparti
Binomial name
Ophichthus bonaparti
(Kaup, 1856)
Synonyms[1]
  • Poecilocephalus bonaparti Kaup, 1856
  • Ophichthys bonaparti (Kaup, 1856)
  • Ophichthys bonapartii (Kaup, 1856)
  • Ophichthys episcopus Castelnau, 1878
  • Ophichthus episcopus Castelnau, 1878
  • Ophichthys garretti Günther, 1910
  • Ophichthus garretti Günther, 1910

The fish is named in honor of biologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857), who supplied the type specimen.[5]


References
  1. Synonyms of Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Common names of Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Kaup, J. J., 1856 [ref. 2572] Uebersicht der Aale. Archiv für Naturgeschichte v. 22 (no. 1): 41-77.
  5. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order ANGUILLIFORMES: Family OPHICHTHIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 1 March 2021.


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