Chordates • Earth.com

Ophichthus tetratrema

(Ophichthus tetratrema)

Description

Ophichthus tetratrema is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean, including Costa Rica and Ecuador. It dwells at a depth range of 700 to 1,000 metres (2,300 to 3,300 ft). Females can reach a total length of 55.6 centimetres (21.9 in). The species epithet "tetratrema" means "four holed" in Greek, and is treated as a noun in apposition. It refers to the four preopercular pores on the eel.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class: Actinopterygii
Order:Anguilliformes
Family:Ophichthidae
Genus:Ophichthus
News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day