Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Ophichthinae
Etymology: Ichthyapus: Greek, ichthys = fish + Greek, a = without + Greek, pous = feet; insularis: From the Latin word insularis, of an island, referring to its apparent endemic location.
More on author: McCosker.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 1 m (Ref. 76875). Tropical
Southeast Atlantic: known only from Acension Is.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 42.7 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 76875)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 121 - 126. An elongate finless species of sphagebranchin (sensu McCosker 1977)ophichthine with: tail 57-60% and head 9- 11% of total length; 4 preopercular pores and 5 pores in supratemporal canal; teeth conical, uniserial on jaws and vomer; body mostly colorless in preservative; and mean vertebral formula -45-123.5, total vertebrae 121-126.
Collected among rocks and sand.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
McCosker, J.E., 2004. A new species of finless snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Ascension Island, with comments on Ichthyapus acutirostris. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 55(7):169-173. (Ref. 76875)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00091 (0.00039 - 0.00215), b=2.99 (2.79 - 3.19), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (33 of 100).