Black-pored snake-eel
Ophichthus melope is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[1] It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998.[2] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Colombia and Costa Rica.[3] It dwells at a depth range of 100 to 224 metres (328 to 735 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres (11 in).[1]
| Black-pored snake-eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. melope |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus melope J. E. McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 | |
The species epithet "melope" means "black cavity" in Greek, and is treated as a noun in apposition. It refers to the rings surrounding the pores.[1] Due to a lack of known threats and observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists O. melope as Least Concern.[3]
References
- Ophichthus melope 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.
- Ophichthus melope at the IUCN redlist.
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