Pouch snake eel

The Pouch snake eel[2] (Paraletharchus opercularis) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by George S. Myers and Charles Barkley Wade in 1941, originally under the genus Letharchus.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Galapagos Islands, the Revillagigedo Islands, and the Cocos Islands. It is known to dwell at a maximum depth of 10 metres (33 ft), and inhabits sand sediments.[5] Males can reach a maximum total length of 64.3 centimetres (25.3 in).[3]

Pouch snake eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Paraletharchus
Species:
P. opercularis
Binomial name
Paraletharchus opercularis
(Myers & Wade, 1941)
Synonyms[1]
  • Letharchus opercularis Myers & Wade, 1941

The IUCN redlist currently lists the pouch snake eel as vulnerable under Criterion D2, due to its limited range, and speculation that increasing frequency of ENSO events will have negative effects on the species' habitat.[5]

References
  1. Synonyms of Paraletharchus opercularis at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Common names of Paraletharchus opercularis at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Paraletharchus opercularis at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Myers, G. S. and C. B. Wade, 1941 (25 June) [ref. 3133] Four new genera and ten new species of eels from the Pacific coast of tropical America. Allan Hancock Pacific Expedition 1932-40, Los Angeles v. 9 (no. 4): 65-111, Pls. 7-16.
  5. Paraletharchus opercularis at the IUCN redlist.


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