slender worm eel
Scolecenchelys gymnota
- Usual depth1–19 m
- Water temperature19–29 °C
- Best monthsMay, September, and November
- How commonRare
About this species
The Indo-Pacific slender worm-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Pieter Bleeker in 1857. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Line Islands, the Society Islands, Johnston Island, Japan, Rapa Iti, Micronesia, and the southern Great Barrier Reef. It forms burrows in inshore sediments of loose gravel and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 38 centimetres (15 in).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Indo-Pacific slender worm-eel”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 7 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 2 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 15 records
- June: 5 records
- July: 6 records
- August: 5 records
- September: 12 records
- October: 12 records
- November: 17 records
- December: 3 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–19 m · Deepest record: 55 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 19–29 °C
Names and classification
- English
- slender worm eel, Slender Worm Eel, Indo-Pacific slender worm-eel
Names in 3 more languages
- French
- Anguille-ver effilée
- Japanese
- Mimizuanago, ミミズアナゴ
- Simplified Chinese
- 硬骨仔, 硬骨篡, 篡仔, 裸蟲鰻, 裸身蠕蛇鰻, 鰻仔
Other scientific names: Muaenichthys gymnotus, Muraenichthys fowleri, Muraenichthys gymnotus, Scolecenchelys gymnotus, Sphagebranchus huysmani
Similar species
- Pearlbelly Snake-eel
Scolecenchelys laticaudata
- Narrow Worm Eel
Scolecenchelys macroptera
- Saddled snake-eel
Leiuranus semicinctus
- Harlequin snake-eel
Myrichthys colubrinus
- Tiger snake-eel
Myrichthys maculosus
Stargazer Snake EelBrachysomophis cirrocheilos
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 200 open-data records from 1936 to 2023.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.