Snaggle-toothed snake-eel

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]

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

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. 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.


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