Fintail serpent eel

The fintail serpent eel (Neenchelys buitendijki, also known commonly as the spotted worm-eel in India[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort in 1916.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indian Ocean, including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It inhabits burrows in soft sediments, and leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 centimetres.[2]

Fintail serpent eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Anguilliformes
Family:
Ophichthidae
Genus:
Neenchelys
Species:
N. buitendijki
Binomial name
Neenchelys buitendijki
Weber & de Beaufort, 1916

The fintail serpent eel is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and is primarily used for fishing bait.[2]

References
  1. Common names for Neenchelysbuitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Neenchelys buitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Weber, M. and L. F. de Beaufort, 1916 [ref. 4604] The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. III. Ostariophysi: II Cyprinoidea, Apodes, Synbranchi. E. J. Brill, Leiden. v. 3: i-xv + 1-455.


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