The redfin worm-eel (Scolecenchelys laticaudata, also known as the pearlbelly snake-eel[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1897, originally under the genus Myropterura.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Red Sea, East and South Africa, Ducie Island, and Lord Howe Island. It dwells at a depth range of 1 to 26 metres (3.3 to 85.3 ft), and inhabits lagoons and reefs, forming colonies in sand sediments in confined areas. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres (14 in).[2]
| Redfin worm-eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Scolecenchelys |
| Species: | S. laticaudata
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| Binomial name | |
| Scolecenchelys laticaudata (Ogilby, 1897)
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| Synonyms | |
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References
edit- ^ Common names of Scolecenchelys laticaudata at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b Scolecenchelys laticaudata at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Ogilby, J. D., 1897 (25 Oct.) [ref. 3273] Some new genera and species of fishes. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v. 22 (pt 2): 245-251.
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