Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Ophichthinae
Etymology: Ophichthus: Greek, ophis = serpent + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335); olivaceus: Name from Latin, referring to its coloration, olivaceus.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 35 - 63 m (Ref. 123091). Tropical
Western Indian Ocean, Red Sea, southern Saudi Arabia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 75.6 cm TL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 141 - 145. This speies is distinguished by the following characters: moderately elongate species, tail length 46.3-46.4%, head length 9.0-10.4%, and body depth at gill opening 3.6-4.2% of total length; dorsal-fin origin is above the middle of pectoral fin; pectoral fin rounded, elongate and well-developed; posterior nostril within upper lip, not visible externally; upper lip with two minute barbels, the first between anterior and posterior nostrils, the second beneath mid orbit; pores distinct, supraorbital pores 1 + 4, infraorbital pores 4 + 2, preopercular pores 5 + 3; teeth small, conical, uniserial on vomer and jaws; total vertebrae 141-145, mean vertebral formula 12-67.5-143. Colouration: dark tan with olivaceous hue dorsally and laterally, tan ventrally on tail and pale yellow ventrally on trunk; above pectoral-fin base are two pale yellow smudges; snout and lower jaw dark brown; throat pale orange-yellow, preopercle pale yellow and postorbital area pale yellow with numerous dark brown dots; dorsal fin and anal fins olivaceous; tip of tail dark red (Ref. 123091).
Known from the holotype and paratype, trawled from a soft substratum from 35-63 m depth off The largest known specimen is 75.6 cm TL ripe female with packed ovaries, with ova ca. 1 mm in diameter (Ref. 123091).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
McCosker, J.E., S.V. Bogorodsky, A.O. Mal and T.J. Alpermann, 2020. Description of a new snake eel Ophichthus olivaceus (Teleostei: Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) from the Red Sea. Zootaxa 4750(1):31-48. (Ref. 123091)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = No PD50 data [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): 4.0 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
