Pearlbelly Snake-eel
Scolecenchelys laticaudata
- Usual depth0–14 m
- Water temperature18–30 °C
- Best monthsSeptember and November
- How commonRare
About this species
The redfin worm-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by James Douglas Ogilby in 1897, originally under the genus Myropterura. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific and southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Red Sea, East and South Africa, Ducie Island, and Lord Howe Island. It dwells at a depth range of 1 to 26 metres, and inhabits lagoons and reefs, forming colonies in sand sediments in confined areas. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres (14 in).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Redfin 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: 3 records
- February: 2 records
- March: 3 records
- April: 4 records
- May: 11 records
- June: 7 records
- July: 7 records
- August: 3 records
- September: 12 records
- October: 11 records
- November: 19 records
- December: 4 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–14 m · Deepest record: 408 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 18–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Pearlbelly Snake-eel, redfin worm-eel, Redfin Worm Eel
Names in 1 more languages
- Japanese
- Futo-mimizu-anago, Futomimizuanago, フトミミズアナゴ
Other scientific names: Muraenichthys laticaudata, Muraenichthys laticaudatus, Myropterura laticaudata
Similar species
- slender worm eel
Scolecenchelys gymnota
- 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).
- 184 open-data records from 1897 to 2007.
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