Rufus snake eel
The rufus snake eel[2] (Ophichthus rufus) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1810, originally under the genus Echelus.[4] It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including Algeria, Albania, Croatia, Egypt, France, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Greece, Italy, Israel, Montenegro, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Monaco, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Turkey.[5] It inhabits mud sediments on the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 60 centimetres (24 in).[3]
| Rufus snake eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. rufus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus rufus (Rafinesque, 1810) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The rufus snake-eel's diet consists of bony fish, mollusks and benthic crustaceans.[6] It has been recorded spawning from July to October, in the Mediterranean.[7] Due to its wide distribution and abundant population, as well as a lack of known major threats, the IUCN redlist currently lists the rufus snake-eel as Least Concern[5]
References
- Synonyms of Ophichthus rufus at www.fishbase.org.
- Common names of Ophichthus rufus at www.fishbase.org.
- Ophichthus rufus at www.fishbase.org.
- Rafinesque, C. S., 1810 [ref. 3594] Caratteri di alcuni nuovi generi e nuove specie di animali e piante della Sicilia, con varie osservazioni sopra i medisimi. Sanfilippo, Palermo. (Part 1 involves fishes, pp. [i-iv] 3-69 [70 blank], Part 2 with slightly different title, pp. ia-iva + 71-105 [106 blank]). Pls. 1-20.
- Ophichthus rufus at the IUCN redlist.
- Food items reported for Ophichthus rufus at www.fishbase.org.
- Spawning for Ophichthus rufus at www.fishbase.org.