The dark-shouldered snake eel (Ophichthus cephalozona, also known commonly as the headsaddle snake eel, the black-neck snake eel, the blacksaddle snake eel, or the one-banded snake-eel[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1864.[4] It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Pacific Ocean, including the East Indies, the Society Islands, the Mariana Islands, Queensland, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Japan, and India. It dwells at a depth range of 2–15 metres, and inhabits reefs. It forms burrows in mud and sand, and forages during the night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 115 centimetres.[3]
| Dark-shouldered snake eel | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. cephalozona
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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The dark-shouldered snake eel is of no commercial interest to fisheries, but is sometimes caught in nets in the Ryukyu Islands.[3]
References
edit- ^ Synonyms of Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names for Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b c Ophichthus cephalozona at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Bleeker, P., 1864-65 [ref. 4860] Atlas ichthyologique des Indes Orientales Néêrlandaises, publié sous les auspices du Gouvernement colonial néêrlandaises. Tome IV. Murènes, Synbranches, Leptocéphales. v. 4: 1-150, Pls. 145-193.
External links
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Media related to Dark-shouldered snake eel at Wikimedia Commons- Photos of Dark-shouldered snake eel on Sealife Collection
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