Napoleon snake eel
| Napoleon snake eel | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. bonaparti
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus bonaparti (Kaup, 1856)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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The Napoleon snake eel (Ophichthus bonaparti, also known as the Napoleon eel, the Purplebanded snake eel, or the Saddled snake-eel[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Poecilocephalus.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Durban, South Africa, Mauritius, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and the Penghu Islands. It is known to dwell at a depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits lagoons and reefs; it forms solitary burrows in sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 75 centimetres (30 in).[3]
Etymology
The fish is named in honor of biologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803-1857), who supplied the type specimen.[5]
References
- ^ Synonyms of Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names of Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b Ophichthus bonaparti at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Kaup, J. J. (1856). "Uebersicht der Aale". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 22 (1): 41–77 – via BHL.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order ANGUILLIFORMES: Family OPHICHTHIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
External links
- Photos of Napoleon snake eel on Sealife Collection