Fintail serpent eel

📖 Overview

Fintail serpent eel (Neenchelys buitendijki) is a ray-finned fish of the family Ophichthidae. It inhabits marine (saltwater) waters in benthic environments. This species can reach a maximum total length of 30 cm. It occurs at depths between 2 and 3 metres. With a trophic level of 4, it is a mid-level predator. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

This species is distinguished by the following characters: body robust, its depth 19-32 times in TL; head length (HL) 7.8-8.5 in TL; pointed snout; well developed pectoral fin, which is longer than snout, 4.0-4.8 in HL; origin of dorsal fin relatively forward, 0.4-0.5 times HL behind gill opening; predorsal length 5.7-6.0 in TL; large gill opening, its height 6.8-8.5 in HL; teeth conical, slender, uniserial in jaws and vomer; total vertebrae 135-148; MVF 19-50-140; single median temporal and interorbital pores; supraorbital pores 1 + 4; infraorbital pores 5 + 1 (1 or 2 pores between anterior and posterior nostrils); mandibular pores 7; preopercular pores 2; supratemporal pores 3; cephalic lateral line pores 13 or 14; predorsal pores 20-22; preanal pores 51-54; when preserved specimens are pale brown dorsally and paler ventrally, with black posterior portions of dorsal and anal fins .: eel-like.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Fintail serpent eel is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; demersal; depth range 2 - 3 m . Tropical West Pacific: India, Indonesia and western Malaysia.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 1 records indexed .

👥 Community & Contribute