Snaggle-toothed snake-eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Aplatophis
Species:
A. zorro
Binomial name
Aplatophis zorro
McCosker & Robertson, 2001

The snaggle-toothed snake-eel[1] (Aplatophis zorro) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae.[2] It was described by John E. McCosker and David Ross Robertson in 2001.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from Panama, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. From the specimen it is known to dwell at a depth range of 5–10 metres, and reach a maximum total length of 104 centimetres. Based on other eel species it is estimated to inhabit burrows on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, and feed on small fish and crustaceans.[2]

The species epithet "zorro" refers to the resemblance the facial pore pattern bears to the fictional character's trademark slash mark.[2] It being known from only one specimen, the IUCN redlist currently lists it as Data Deficient.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Common names for Aplatophis zorro at www.fishbase.org.
  2. 1 2 3 Aplatophis zorro at www.fishbase.org.
  3. ↑ McCosker, J. E. and D. R. Robertson, 2001 [ref. 25776] Aplatophis zorro, a new species of eastern Pacific snake-eel, with comments on New World ophichthid distributions (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae). Revista de Biología Tropical v. 49 (Suppl. 1): 13-19.
  4. ↑ Aplatophis zorro at the IUCN redlist.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.