The fintail serpent eel (Neenchelys buitendijki, also known commonly as the spotted worm-eel in India[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort in 1916.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indian Ocean, including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It inhabits burrows in soft sediments, and leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 centimetres.[2]
| Fintail serpent eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Neenchelys |
| Species: | N. buitendijki
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| Binomial name | |
| Neenchelys buitendijki Weber & de Beaufort, 1916
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The fintail serpent eel is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and is primarily used for fishing bait.[2]
References
edit- ^ Common names for Neenchelysbuitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b c Neenchelys buitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Weber, M. and L. F. de Beaufort, 1916 [ref. 4604] The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. III. Ostariophysi: II Cyprinoidea, Apodes, Synbranchi. E. J. Brill, Leiden. v. 3: i-xv + 1-455.
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