Snake eels

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Snake eels
Ringed snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus)

Ringed snake eel ( Myrichthys colubrinus )

Systematics
Class : Ray fins (Actinopterygii)
Subclass : Neuflosser (Neopterygii)
Subclass : Real bony fish (Teleostei)
Cohort : Elopomorpha
Order : Eel-like (Anguilliformes)
Family : Snake eels
Scientific name
Ophichthidae
Rafinesque , 1815

The snake eels (Ophichthidae) are a family from the order of the eel-like . It consists of about 300 species in 52 genera . The name comes from the Greek : ophis means snake and ichthys means fish.

Snake eels live in subtropical and tropical seas in coastal regions, over sandy bottoms or in coral reefs . Some species also go into estuaries.

features

Snake eels are similar to moray eels : they are elongated, the number of their vertebrae is between 110 and 270, the pectoral fins are very small or absent, as is the caudal fin , whose function is taken over by the long dorsal and anal fins that reach far back . The tip of the tail is reinforced with bones in many species and enables the fish to dig themselves backwards into the sand very quickly. The mouth of the snake eel is terminal or strongly subordinate . The teeth of the individual species are very different: in addition to conical fangs, blunt teeth also appear in order to grind hard-shelled prey. In contrast to the moray eels, whose nostrils are at eye level, the nostrils of the snake eels are far in front above the tip of the snout and end in tubes that are bent downwards. Snake eels are eleven centimeters to 1.7 meters long.

Way of life

Most species are nocturnal. During the day they hide in the sand, often only the head looks out, at night the robbers go foraging for food. The animals are not so tied to their hiding place as morays.

Snake eels eat fish or crustaceans , some specialize in cephalopods . The prey is tracked down gustatory (via the sense of taste).

The reproduction of snake eels is largely unknown. Some species have been observed to form groups and swim to the surface to spawn.

Tribal history and systematics

The fossil snake eel Goslinophis is known from the northern Italian Monte Bolca Formation, which arose from Tethys deposits in the Eocene .

Snake eels belong to the eel-like family and, together with eight other families, belong to the suborder Congroidei. Almost all members of this suborder, including the snake eels, lack the scales. The frontal bone has grown together.

Subfamily Ophichthinae

The members of this subfamily often have stripes or spots, and some have a uniform color. The tail is without a caudal fin and is hard or fleshy. The genera Apterichtus , Cirricaecula and Ichthyapus are completely without fins, others lack pectoral , dorsal or anal fin .

Subfamily Myrophinae

The members of this subfamily are uniformly colored. Often the back is darker. The fin rays of the caudal fin are small, but still connected to the dorsal and anal fin . Pectoral fins may be present or absent.

Ahlia egmontis
Muraenichthys gymnopterus
Myrophis microchir
Head of a myrophis larva

literature

Web links

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