Whip eel
| Whip eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Division: | Teleostei |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Bascanichthys |
| Species: | B. scuticaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Bascanichthys scuticaris | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1880.[3] It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits reefs and coastal waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 76 centimetres (30 in).[2] Whip eels are very similar in appearance to sooty eels (which are also found throughout the Gulf of Mexico), but whip eels can be distinguished by a row of small pale spots running along the lateral line.[4]
References
- ↑ Synonyms of Bascanichthys scuticaris at www.fishbase.org.
- 1 2 Bascanichthys scuticaris at www.fishbase.org.
- ↑ Goode, G. B. and T. H. Bean, 1880 (25 Mar.) [ref. 18135] Catalogue of a collection of fishes obtained in the Gulf of Mexico, by Dr. J. W. Velie, with descriptions of seven new species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 2 (no. 98): 333-345.
- ↑ Leiby, Mark M.; Yerger, Ralph W. (1980). "The genus Bascanichthys (Pisces: Ophichthidae) in the Gulf of Mexico". Copeia. 1980 (3): 402–408. doi:10.2307/1444515.