Johnston snake eel

Johnston snake eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Schultzidia
Species: S. johnstonensis
Binomial name
Schultzidia johnstonensis
(Schultz & Woods, 1949)
Synonyms[1]
  • Muraenichthys johnstonensis Schultz & Woods, 1949

The Johnston snake eel (Schultzidia johnstonensis, also known as the Peppered worm eel in Micronesia and Hawaii[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Leonard Peter Schultz and Loren Paul Woods in 1949.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific region, including the Chagos Islands, Hawaii, the Marquesan Islands, the Society Islands, Australia, and New Caledonia. It dwells at a depth range of 2-23 metres, and inhabits sand sediments in coral reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 35 centimetres.[3]

The Johnston snake eel's diet consists of crabs, prawns, and small finfish.[5]

References

  1. Synonyms of Schultzidia johnstonensis at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Common names for Schultzidia johnstonensis at www.fishbase.org.
  3. 1 2 Schultzidia johnstonensis at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Schultz, L. P. and L. P. Woods, 1949 [ref. 10179] Keys to the genera of echelid eels and the species of Muraenichthys of the Pacific, with two new species. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences v. 39 (no. 5): 169-174.
  5. Food items reported for Schultzidia johnstonensis at www.fishbase.org.


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