Fangtooth snake-eel

Fangtooth snake-eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Aplatophis
Species: A. chauliodus
Binomial name
Aplatophis chauliodus
Böhlke, 1956

The fangtooth snake-eel (Aplatophis chauliodus, also known as the tusky eel in Cuba and the United States[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae.[2] It was described by James Erwin Böhlke in 1956.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico and French Guiana. It dwells at a depth range of 33-91 m, and dwells in both marine waters and brackish estuaries. It inhabits burrows on a permanent or semipermanent basis, and leaves its eyes and snout exposed. Males can reach a maximum total length of 84 cm.[2] The fangtooth snake-eel's diet consists of bony fish and crustaceans.[4]

References

  1. Common names for Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.
  2. 1 2 Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Böhlke, J. E., 1956 (3 Oct.) [ref. 596] A small collection of new eels from western Puerto Rico. Notulae Naturae (Philadelphia) No. 289: 1-13.
  4. Food items reported for Aplatophis chauliodus at www.fishbase.org.


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