Updated 8 Dec. 2023
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Snake Eels
Subfamily OPHICHTHINAE Günther 1870

Allips McCosker 1972 állos (Gr. ἄλλος), other or another; íps (Gr. ἴψ ), a kind of worm, i.e., another worm-shaped eel like Evips, described in the same paper

Allips concolor McCosker 1972 Latin for colored uniformly, referring to its uniform brown color in isopropanol

Aplatophis Böhlke 1956 áplatos (Gr. ἄπλατος), unapproachable, always with a notion of terrible or monstrous, referring to fearsome appearance of large mouth and “extremely highly developed” dentition; ophis (Gr.), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Aplatophis chauliodus Böhlke 1956 named for the stomiid genus Chauliodus, referring to the prominent, tusky teeth that both genera feature, from chauliodōn (Gr. χαυλιόδων), having prominent teeth

Aplatophis zorro McCosker & Robertson 2001 “for the remarkable coloration of the pore pattern along the face, reminiscent of the slash mark of the swordsman Zorro”

Aprognathodon Böhlke 1967 a-, Latinized Greek prefixed particle from ἀ, i.e., without; pro– (L.), in front of; gnathos (Gr.), jaw; odon, tooth, referring to lack of anterior teeth in upper jaw

Aprognathodon platyventris Böhlke 1967 platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat; ventrls (L.), genitive of venter, belly, referring to flattened pre-anal region

Apterichtus Duméril 1806 a-, Latinized Greek prefixed particle from ἀ, i.e., without, and pterón (Gr. πτερόν), fin, referring to absence of fins; ichtus, variant spelling of ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Apterichtus anguiformis (Peters 1877) Anguis, slowworm (snake-like legless lizard) genus; formis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma (L.), shape or form, referring to its elongate, worm-like body

Apterichtus ansp (Böhlke 1968) abbreviation for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where Böhlke worked and where holotype is housed

Apterichtus australis McCosker & Randall 2005 Latin for southern, referring to its occurrence in the South Pacific

Apterichtus caecus (Linnaeus 1758) Latin for blind, referring to its small eyes under skin, which Linnaeus said were incapable of sight (“Oculos nullus video”)

Apterichtus dunalailai McCosker & Hibino 2015 Fijian word (eel is from Vanuatu and Fiji) for “small eel,” referring to its size (up to 289 mm)

Apterichtus equatorialis (Myers & Wade 1941) Latin for equatorial, referring to type locality north of Barrington Island, Galapagos Islands, near the equator

Apterichtus flavicaudus (Snyder 1904) flavus (L.), yellow; caudus (L.), tail, referring to “lemon yellow” color on posterior half of body in life

Apterichtus gracilis (Kaup 1856) Latin for thin or slender, “thinner and more elongated” (translation) than Ichthyapus acutirostris

Apterichtus hatookai Hibino, Shibata & Kimura 2014 in honor of Kiyotaka Hatooka, ichthyological curator, Osaka Museum of Natural History, for his contribution to the taxonomy of Japanese anguilliform fishes

Apterichtus jeffwilliamsi McCosker & Hibino 2015 in honor of ichthyologist Jeffrey T. Williams, U.S. National Museum of Natural History, who collected holotype

Apterichtus kendalli (Gilbert 1891) in honor of physician William C. Kendall (1861–1939), naturalist aboard the U.S. Fish Commission schooner Grampus, from which holotype was collected

Apterichtus klazingai (Weber 1913) in honor of M. D. Klazinga, the brave (“vaillaint”) chief mechanical officer of the Siboga, to whom the expedition, which collected holotype, owes much

Apterichtus malabar McCosker & Hibino 2015 named for Malabar, New South Wales, Australia, type locality

Apterichtus monodi (Roux 1966) in honor of French naturalist and explorer Théodore Monod (1902–2000), founder and director of Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (now Institut Fondamental d’Afrique Noire), who provided holotype

Apterichtus moseri (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of Jefferson Franklin Moser (1848–1934), U.S. Navy, for his “valued services to ichthyology” as commander of the U.S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross, from which holotype was collected

Apterichtus mysi McCosker & Hibino 2015 in honor of Mysi Hoang, Curatorial and Administrative Assistant, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, for her many contributions to ichthyology [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Apterichtus nariculus McCosker & Hibino 2015 diminutive of naris (L.), nostril, referring to its minute anterior nostrils

Apterichtus orientalis Machida & Ohta 1994 Latin for eastern, referring to its type locality in the Far East (Japan)

Apterichtus succinus Hibino, McCosker & Kimura 2016 adjective of succinum (L.), amber, referring to its coloration and shape of head and nape markings (vivid reddish oval or circular spots)

Bascanichthys Jordan & Davis 1891 Bascanion (=Coluber), black snake genus, “which the body much resembles” per Jordan & Evermann (1896, Fishes of North and Middle America), from báskanos (Gr. βάσκανος ), malicious; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Bascanichthys bascanium (Jordan 1884) -ium, Latin adjectival suffix: Bascanion (=Coluber), black snake genus, “which the body much resembles” per Jordan & Evermann (1896, Fishes of North and Middle America), from báskanos (Gr. βάσκανος ), malicious

Bascanichthys bascanoides Osburn & Nichols 1916 -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: ”Close to” B. bascanium

Bascanichthys ceciliae Blache & Cadenat 1971 matronym not identified, nor can identity be inferred from available information

Bascanichthys cylindricus Meek & Hildebrand 1923 Latin for cylindrical, presumably referring to more terete shape compared to B. panamensis

Bascanichthys deraniyagalai Menon 1961 in honor of paleontologist-zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala (1899–1976), Director, National Museum, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

Bascanichthys fijiensis (Seale 1935) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Suva, Fiji Islands, type locality

Bascanichthys filaria (Günther 1872) etymology not explained but probably from filum (L.), thread, and/or Filaria, a genus of thread-like nematode worms, referring to its “considerably greater slenderness” compared with Ophichthys (=Basanichthys) longipinnis and O. (=B.) kirkii

Bascanichthys gaira Moreno, Acero P. & Grijalba-Bendeck 2016 named for Bahía de Gaira (Gaira Bay), Santa Marta, Colombia, type locality

Bascanichthys inopinatus McCosker, Böhlke & Böhlke 1989 Latin for unexpected, as the authors originally considered specimens of this eel to be an aberrant or geographically variant form of B. paulensis and “did not initially expect to describe this as a new species”

Bascanichthys kirkii (Günther 1870) in honor of John Kirk (1832–1922), Scottish physician, naturalist and explorer, who presented specimens to the British Museum (Natural History), including holotype of this eel

Bascanichthys longipinnis (Kner & Steindachner 1867) longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, referring to length of dorsal fin, which begins before gill slit

Bascanichthys myersi (Herre 1932) in honor of American ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905–1985), Stanford University, who first noticed what is evidently an undeveloped pectoral fin at posterior margin of each gill opening

Bascanichthys panamensis Meek & Hildebrand 1923 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Panama, type locality

Bascanichthys paulensis Storey 1939 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: São Paulo, Brazil, type locality

Bascanichthys pusillus Seale 1917 Latin for very small, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “slim” body and/or “very minute” pectoral fins

Bascanichthys ryukyuensis Hibino, Yamashita & Sakurai 2022 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Okinawa-jima, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality

Bascanichthys scuticaris (Goode & Bean 1880) Neo-Latin adjective of scutica (L.), whip, presumably referring to its elongate, whip-like shape

Bascanichthys sibogae (Weber 1913) of the ship Siboga and Indonesian expedition (1898–1899) of the same name, during which holotype was collected

Brachysomophis Kaup 1856 brachýs (Gr. βραχύς), short, and sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to moderately elongate body of B. horridus (=crocodilinus) compared with more elongate body of most ophichthines; óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Brachysomophis atlanticus Blache & Saldanha 1972 –icus (L.), belonging to: Atlantic Ocean, this species representing the first Atlantic occurrence of a largely Pacific genus

Brachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker 1857) cirrus (L.), tuft of hair or fringe; cheí̄los, lip (Gr. χεῖλος), referring to numerous prominent barbels on lips

Brachysomophis crocodilinus (Bennett 1833) –inus, Latin adjectival suffix, i.e., crocodilian, referring to its imposing long jaws, which give it the countenance of a crocodile

Brachysomophis henshawi Jordan & Snyder 1904 in honor of American ornithologist-ethnologist Henry W. Henshaw (1850–1930) of Hilo, Hawai‘i, to whom the authors are “indebted for several rare specimens”

Brachysomophis longipinnis McCosker & Randall 2001 longus (L.), long; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, referring to its elongate pectoral fins

Brachysomophis porphyreus (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) Latinization of the Greek porphýrē (πορφύρη), purple or purplish, referring to its purple-brown dorsal coloration in life

Brachysomophis umbonis McCosker & Randall 2001 –is, Latin genitive singular of: umbo (L.), rounded protuberance, referring to “notable” lateral projection of its cheeks

Caecula Vahl 1794 diminutive of caecus (L.), blind, referring to skin-covered eyes, which are “so small that they are very hard to find in dead specimens” and “might easily be interpreted as pores” (translation)

Caecula pterygera Vahl 1794 pterýx (Gr. πτέρυξ), wing or fin; –gera, Latin suffix meaning to bear or carry, referring to presence of dorsal and anal fins compared with their absence on C. apterygia (=Apterichtus caecus), described in the same paper

Callechelys Kaup 1856 kállos (Gr. κάλλος), beauty, presumably referring to “handsome” (translation) appearance of C. guichenoti (=marmorata); énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Callechelys bilinearis Kanazawa 1952 bi-, from bis (L.), twice; linearis (L.), linear, referring to two dark lateral stripes along body

Callechelys bitaeniata (Peters 1877) bi-, from bis (L.), twice; taeniata (L.), striped or banded, presumably referring to wide, dark brown stripe running from mid-head to tail, stopping at dorsal fin base below a narrow, pale stripe above base

Callechelys catostoma (Schneider 1801) cato-, from katá (Gr. κατά), beneath, below or under; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to its overhanging lower jaw

Callechelys cliffi Böhlke & Briggs 1954 in honor of American herpetologist, Frank S. Cliff (1928–2000), who captured holotype when he was a graduate student at Stanford University (J. C. Briggs, pers. comm.)

Callechelys eristigma McCosker & Rosenblatt 1972 eri- (Gr. ἐρι), much or very; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), spot, referring to numerous dark spots on body and dorsal fin

Callechelys galapagensis McCosker & Rosenblatt 1972 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the Galápagos Islands, where it is endemic

Callechelys guineensis (Osório 1893) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Guinea, former Portuguese colony that included Cape Verde Islands, type locality

Callechelys kuro (Kuroda 1947) Japanese for black, probably referring to its purplish-black coloration

Callechelys leucoptera (Cadenat 1954) leuco-, from leukós (Gr. λευκός), white; ptera, from from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to “creamy white” and/or “very clear” (translations) fins

Callechelys lutea Snyder 1904 Latin for yellow, referring to lemon-yellow mottling on upper body and dorsal fin [originally spelled luteus but corrected to agree with feminine gender of Callechelys]

Callechelys maculatus Chu, Wu & Jin 1981 Latin for spotted, stained or marked, presumably referring to more than 10 indistinct black transverse bands on body

Callechelys marmorata (Bleeker 1854) Latin for marbled, referring to chocolate-to-black spots overlain with large black blotches on body and fins

Callechelys muraena Jordan & Evermann 1887 muraena (L.), from mýraina (μύραινα), Greek name of Muraena helena and precursor to “moray,” described as stouter and therefore more like Muraena in form and color than C. (=Basinichthys) scuticaris and C. (=B.) bascanium

Callechelys papulosa McCosker 1998 Latin for blistered or pimpled, referring to small acne-like round pits on lower jaw, cheeks, nape and dorsal surface of head and branchial basket

Callechelys randalli McCosker 1998 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), friend and collector of this and many of the specimens included in McCosker’s revision of the genus

Callechelys springeri (Ginsburg 1951) in honor of American shark biologist Stewart Springer (1906‒1991), who obtained holotype from the stomach of shark

Caralophia Böhlke 1955 cara-, from kára (Gr. κάρα), head; lophia, from lóphos (Gr. λόφος), mane or crest, i.e., a “back fin,” referring to anterior origin of dorsal fin

Caralophia loxochila Böhlke 1955 slant-lipped, from loxós (Gr. λοξός), slanting, and cheí̄los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to conspicuous flange on either side of lower jaw

Chauligenion McCosker & Okamoto 2016 chaúlios (Gr. χαύλιος), gaping (but here used in the sense of protruding); géneion (Gr. γένειον), chin, referring to its obtrusive lower jaw

Chauligenion camelopardalis McCosker & Okamoto 2016 camelus (L.), camel; pardus (L.), leopard, together forming ancient name of the giraffe (cameleopard), referring to its giraffe-like coloration

Cirrhimuraena Kaup 1856 cirrhi-, from cirrus (L.), tuft of hair or fringe, referring to short, irregular barbels on edge of upper lip; muraena, (L.), from mýraina (μύραινα), Greek name of Muraena helena and precursor to “moray,” allusion not explained, possibly used as a standard suffix for an eel

A subgenus is sometimes recognized: Jenkinsiella Jordan & Evermann 1896 –iella (L.), diminutive suffix connoting endearment, in honor of Oliver Peebles Jenkins (1850–1935), physiology professor, Stanford University, who described many Hawaiian fishes, including type of this subgenus, Microdonophis macgregori (=Cirrhimuraena playfairii).

Cirrhimuraena calamus (Günther 1870) Latin for reed, possibly referring to its thin, reed-like shape, with tail twice the length of the body

Cirrhimuraena cheilopogon (Bleeker 1860) cheilos (Gr.), lip; pṓgōn (Gr. πώγων), beard, referring to numerous barbels on upper lip

Cirrhimuraena chinensis Kaup 1856 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off the coast of China, where it occurs (also described from Indonesia)

Cirrhimuraena indica Mohapatra, Mohanty, Ray, Mishra & Seth 2021 Indian, referring to India, where type locality (Paradip fishing harbor, Odisha, northern Bay of Bengal) is situated

Cirrhimuraena inhacae (Smith 1962) of Inhaca, Mozambique, type locality

Cirrhimuraena odishaensis Mohanty, Behera, Patro & Mohapatra 2023 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Odisha, India, where type localities (Palur canal and Talasari Fish Landing Centre) are situated

Cirrhimuraena oliveri (Seale 1910) patronym not identified, possibly in honor of physiology professor Oliver Peebles Jenkins (1850–1935), who worked with Seale at Stanford University and described many Hawaiian fishes

Cirrhimuraena orientalis Nguyen 1993 Latin for eastern, probably referring to Vietnamese distribution

Cirrhimuraena paucidens Herre & Myers 1931 paucus (L.), few or little; dens (L.), tooth, presumably referring to distinctive “group of a few small teeth” on maxillary plate beneath tip of snout and/or single rows of small teeth each on vomer and mandible

Cirrhimuraena playfairii (Günther 1870) in honor of Lieut.-Col. Robert Lambert Playfair (1828–1899), British Consul to the Sultanate of Oman in Zanzibar (Tanzania), who presented holotype to the British Museum (Natural History)

Cirrhimuraena tapeinoptera Bleeker 1863 low-finned, from tapeinós (Gr. ταπεινός), low, and ptera, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), wing or fin, allusion not explained, possibly referring to poorly developed dorsal and anal fins compared with Ophisurus (=Cirrhimuraena) cheilopogon and O. (=C.) polyodon (=chinensis)

Cirrhimuraena yuanding Tang & Zhang 2003 in honor of Zhu Yuang-Ding (1896–1986), “China’s leading authority on ichthyology and fishery science” [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Cirricaecula Schultz 1953 cirris (L.), tuft of hair or fringe, referring to cirri on edges of upper lip; Caecula, a closely related genus

Cirricaecula johnsoni Schultz 1953 in honor of American oceanographer Martin W. Johnson (1893–1984), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who participated in Schultz’ 1946 field work

Cirricaecula macdowelli McCosker & Randall 1993 in honor of Michael McDowell (note Latinization of “Mc” to “Mac”), Australian “tour operator and bon vivant, who has taken us to remote outposts in search of rare specimens” and “diver, explorer and friend”

Dalophis Rafinesque 1810 dal, meaning unknown, possibly derived from Dalmatia, then a country on the east side of the Adriatic Sea, within range of type, Dalophis serpa (=imberbis); ophis (Gr.), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Dalophis boulengeri (Blache, Cadenat & Stauch 1970) in honor of Belgian-born British ichthyologist-herpetologist George A. Boulenger (1858–1937), British Museum (Natural History), who first reported the presence of this eel off the coast of West Africa in 1915 but incorrectly identified it as Sphagebranchus (=Dalophis) cephalopeltis

Dalophis cephalopeltis (Bleeker 1863) cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head; peltis, from péltē (Gr. πέλτη), small shield, allusion not explained nor evident; name apparently coined by zoologist Hermann Schlegel (1804–1884) in an unpublished manuscript

Dalophis imberbis (Delaroche 1809) Latin for beardless, referring to absence of cirri on snout

Dalophis multidentatus Blache & Bauchot 1972 multi– (L.), many; dentatus (L.), toothed, presumably referring to more teeth compared with D. imberbis and D. boulengeri

Dalophis obtusirostris Blache & Bauchot 1972 obtusus (L.), blunt; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, presumably referring to less prominent snout compared with congeners

Echelus Rafinesque 1810 presumably a variant spelling of échis (Gr. ἔχις), viper or adder, referring to snake-like appearance of E. punctatus (=myrus)

Echelus myrus (Linnaeus 1758) historical name for this eel dating to at least Rondelet’s Libri de piscibus marinis (1554), presumably a Latinization of mū́ros (Gr. μῦρος), with two definitions, a kind of eel and, specifically, a male moray

Echelus pachyrhynchus (Vaillant 1888) thick-snouted, from pachýs (Gr. παχύς), thick or stout, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, probably referring to its short, rounded and “swollen” or “bulging” (translation) snout

Echelus polyspondylus McCosker & Ho 2015 polý- (Gr. πολύ), many; spóndylos (Gr. σπόνδυλος), vertebra, having more vertebrae than any of its congeners

Echelus uropterus (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) uro, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to confluence of dorsal and anal fins with caudal fin, which, in effect, creates appearance of one long tail fin extending around body

Echiophis Kaup 1856 presumably a combination of échis (Gr. ἔχις), viper or adder, and óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, both words referring to the snake-like appearance of E. intertinctus, but name may be a misspelling of Echiopsis (-ópsis [Gr. ὄψις], appearance, i.e., resembling a viper or adder), which Kaup later used

Echiophis brunneus (Castro-Aguirre & Suárez de los Cobos 1983) Medieval Latin for brown, referring to uniformly dark brown coloration

Echiophis intertinctus (Richardson 1848) inter (L.)., between; tinctus (L.), painted or stained, i.e., colored between or within, allusion not explained but probably referring in some way to its spotted color pattern

Echiophis mordax (Poey 1860) Latin for biting, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to stronger, larger teeth compared to smaller teeth of two congrid eels Poey said were clearly different: Conger analis (=Arisoma anale) and C. impressus (=Ariosoma balearicum)

Echiophis punctifer (Kaup 1859) punctum (L.), spot; fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to numerous small brown spots on body

Ethadophis Rosenblatt & McCosker 1970 ethás (Gr. ἐθάς), customary or usual, referring to its “lack of outstanding morphological characters”; ophis (Gr.), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Ethadophis akkistikos McCosker & Böhlke 1984 akkistikós (Gr. ἀκκιστικός), coy, referring to the coy appearance of its face

Ethadophis byrnei Rosenblatt & McCosker 1970 in honor of the late John Byrne, a San Diego, California (USA) resident who was walking on the beach during low tide when the holotype stuck its head out of the wet sand; he grabbed it and brought it to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where it was identified as a new species (and remains the only known specimen; J. E. McCosker, pers. comm.)

Ethadophis merenda Rosenblatt & McCosker 1970 Latin for afternoon snack, referring to type being taken from the stomach of a White Sea Bass Cynoscion nobilis

Evips McCosker 1972 eū́– (Gr. εὖ), good, Latinized to ev– for euphony before a vowel (per McCosker); íps (Gr. ἴψ), a kind of worm, referring to worm-like appearance of this “charming eel”

Evips percinctus McCosker 1972 per– (L.), very, continuous or throughout; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled, referring to 16 brown saddles on upper half of body

Gordiichthys Jordan & Davis 1891 Gordius, horsehair worm genus, named after Gordius, king whose complicated (“Gordian”) knot was cut by Alexander, referring to thin, elongate body; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Gordiichthys combibus McCosker & Lavenberg 2001 from combibo (L.), to drink with a companion, referring to the “sibling nature” of this eastern Pacific species to its Atlantic congener G. randalli [footnote: Knowing that John (“Jack”) Randall and John E. McCosker were frequent collaborators and dive buddies, was drinking with Randall a private inspiration for the name? Here, for the etymological record, is McCosker’s reply: “Yup.”]

Gordiichthys ergodes McCosker, Böhlke & Böhlke 1989 ergṓdēs (Gr. ἐργώδης), irksome or troublesome, referring to the “difficulties this new species has created” with the authors’ previous concept of generic limits between Gordiichthys, Allips, Phaenomonas and Ethadophis

Gordiichthys irretitus Jordan & Davis 1891 Latin for entangled or caught in a net, probably referring to partially digested holotype found in the “spewings” of snappers (Lutjanus aya)

Gordiichthys leibyi McCosker & Böhlke 1984 in honor of Mark M. Leiby (b. 1944), Florida Department of Natural Resources, Marine Research Laboratory (St Petersburg), “friend and apodal ichthyologist”

Gordiichthys randalli McCosker & Böhlke 1984 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924–2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), friend and collector of type specimens

Hemerorhinus Weber & de Beaufort 1916 hḗmeros (Gr. ἥμερος), cultivated; rhinus, presumably from rhinos (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to pointed snout of H. heyningi projecting beyond mouth

Hemerorhinus heyningi (Weber 1913) patronym (also spelled heijnigi) not identified but clearly in honor of Lieut. Cornelis E. Hoorens van Heyningen, an officer aboard the Siboga expedition during which holotype was collected

Hemerorhinus opici Blache & Bauchot 1972 in honor of French artist and illustrator Pierre Opic, who provided the illustrations for Blache’s African anguilliform monographs

Herpetoichthys Kaup 1856 herpetón (Gr. ἑρπετόν), creeping animal, reptile or snake, referring to snake-like appearance of H. regius and probably of eels in general; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Herpetoichthys fossatus (Myers & Wade 1941) Latin for dug, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its burrowing behavior in soft-bottom habitats

Herpetoichthys regius (Richardson 1848) Latin for royal, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to distinctive coloration (brown markings on pale background), but since holotype had “been immersed in spirits many years, and many of its markings have doubtless disappeared,” such a presumption can easily be questioned

Hyphalophis McCosker & Böhlke 1982 hýphalos (Gr. ὕφαλος), under the sea, referring to “extraordinary” depth of capture (293–366 m) of holotype; óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Hyphalophis devius McCosker & Böhlke 1982 Latin for off the main way or highway, referring to two unique characteristics: quadriserial rows of maxillary dentition and a lateral line that abruptly arches and abuts lateral line from other side on top of head

Ichthyapus Brisout de Barneville 1847 ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish; a-, Latinized Greek prefixed particle from ἀ, i.e., without, and poús (Gr. πούς), foot, referring to finlessness of I. acutirostris

Ichthyapus acuticeps (Barnard 1923) acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; -ceps (New Latin), headed, referring to pointed snout and, hence, pointed head

Ichthyapus acutirostris Brisout de Barneville 1847 acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its pointed snout

Ichthyapus insularis McCosker 2004 Latin for of islands, referring to Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, where it appears to be endemic

Ichthyapus keramanus (Machida, Hashimoto & Yamakawa 1997) –anus (L.), belonging to: south of Kerama Islands, Okinawa, Japan, type locality

Ichthyapus ophioneus (Evermann & Marsh 1900) –eus, Latin suffix, having the quality of: óphis (Gr. ὄφις), snake, referring to its snake-like appearance

Ichthyapus platyrhynchus (Gosline 1951) flat-snouted, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), flat, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to how its snout forms a flattened triangle in cross section

Ichthyapus selachops (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) sélachos (Gr. σέλαχος), a cartilaginous fish (i.e., shark or ray); ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to its “remarkably shark-like” physiognomy, created by nostrils on lower side of snout, which projects over mouth

Ichthyapus vulturis (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) named after the Dutch Government Fisheries Investigation ship Gier (=vulture), from which holotype was collected

Kertomichthys McCosker & Böhlke 1982 kertómios (Gr. κερτόμιος), mocking or delusive, referring to facial expression (down-turned snout and forward eye position) and the difficulty it has caused ichthyologists trying to understand its relationships; ichthýos (Gr. ἰχθύος), fish

Kertomichthys blastorhinos (Kanazawa 1963) blastós (Gr. βλαστός), bud, shoot or sprout; rhinos (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, referring to its clavate snout

Lamnostoma Kaup 1856 etymology not explained, presumably from lámna (Gr. λάμνα), a voracious fish or shark; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to the voracious or shark-like appearance of mouth of L. pictum (=orientale)

Lamnostoma kampeni (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) in honor of Dutch herpetologist Pieter Nicolaas Van Kampen (1878–1937), who collected holotype

Lamnostoma mindora (Jordan & Richardson 1908) named after Mindoro Island, Philippines, type locality

Lamnostoma orientale (McClelland 1844) Latin for eastern, typically the Far East or Orient, probably referring to Coromandel Coast of India, type locality

Lamnostoma polyophthalmum (Bleeker 1853) polý- (Gr. πολύ), many; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, probably referring to double row of yellow, round spots on head and nape [often spelled as an adjective, polyophthalmum]

Lamnostoma taiwanense Chiu, Huang & Shao 2018 –ense, Latin suffix (neuter) denoting place: known only from Lan-yang River, northeastern Taiwan

Lamnostoma taylori (Herre 1923) in honor of American herpetologist Edward H. Taylor (1889–1978), “student of Philippine reptiles and amphibia” (and Chief of Fisheries in the Philippines)

Leiuranus Bleeker 1853 leí̄os (Gr. λεῖος), smooth; urano-, from ouranískos (Gr. Οὐρανίσκος), roof of mouth, referring to toothless vomer

Leiuranus semicinctus (Lay & Bennett 1839) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled, referring to “fascia-like patches of dark-brown, which do not surround the body, but are interrupted on the under surface”

Leiuranus versicolor (Richardson 1848) Latin for variegated or of various colors, referring to 27 purplish-brown rings, which are further divided more or less completely by narrower white lines or imperfect circles

Leptenchelys Myers & Wade 1941 leptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin, referring to its elongate body; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Leptenchelys vermiformis Myers & Wade 1941 vermis (L.), worm; formis (L.), shape or form, referring to its worm-like shape

Letharchus Goode & Bean 1882 lḗthē (Gr. λήθη), forgetfulness; archós (Gr. ἀρχός), anus, referring to lack of anal fin on L. velifer

Letharchus aliculatus McCosker 1974 –atus (L.), provided with: alicula (L.), a light-colored upper garment, referring to cream and pale-tan coloration of its body and fins

Letharchus rosenblatti McCosker 1974 in honor of American ichthyologist Richard H. Rosenblatt (1930–2014), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for contributions to the study of apodal fishes and the education of ichthyologists

Letharchus velifer Goode & Bean 1882 velum (L.), sail; fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to unusually high dorsal fin, height at nape equaling distance from tip of lower jaw to angle of mouth

Lethogoleos McCosker & Böhlke 1982 letho-, from lḗthē (Gr. λήθη), forgetfulness; gōleós (Gr. γωλεός), a hole or pricking, referring to unique absence of several cephalic pores

Lethogoleos andersoni McCosker & Böhlke 1982 in honor of William D. Anderson, Jr. (b. 1933), Grice Marine Biological Laboratory (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), friend and ichthyologist, who made specimens available to the authors

Leuropharus Rosenblatt & McCosker 1970 leuros (Gr. λευρός), smooth; pháros (Gr. φάρος), plow, referring to its toothless vomerine shaft

Leuropharus lasiops Rosenblatt & McCosker 1970 lasios (Gr.), bearded; ṓps (Gr.ὦψ), eye or face (i.e., appearance), referring to numerous papillae on its snout and lips

Luthulenchelys McCosker 2007 in honor of Chief Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli (ca. 1898–1967) of KwaZulu-Natal, Africa’s first winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and former President of the African National Congress; enchelys (Gr.), eel

Luthulenchelys heemstraorum McCosker 2007 –orum, commemorative suffix (L.), plural: in honor of ichthyologists Phillip C. (1941–2019) and Elaine Heemstra, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, for their “efforts to understand, illustrate, and explain the fishes of the Indian Ocean to scientists and the general public”

Malvoliophis Whitley 1934 Malvolio, Lady Olivia’s steward in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, referring to banded coloration of M. pinguis, suggestive of cross-gartered legs and yellow socks worn by him (Whitley, pers. comm. With J. E. McCosker); ophis (Gr.), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Malvoliophis pinguis (Günther 1872) Latin for fat, possibly referring to its body being shorter than its tail

Myrichthys Girard 1859 referring to its affinity to the genus Myrus (=Echelus); ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Myrichthys aspetocheiros McCosker & Rosenblatt 1993 áspetos (Gr. ἄσπετος), unspeakably great; cheirós (Gr. χειρός), genitive of cheír (χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), which is elongate and longer than snout

Myrichthys breviceps (Richardson 1848) brevis (L.), short; -ceps (New Latin), headed, “remarkable for its short blunt head”

Myrichthys colubrinus (Boddaert 1781) Latin for snake-like, referring to its extreme similarity to banded sea snakes that occupy shallow coral reefs over much (but not all) of its range

Myrichthys maculosus (Cuvier 1816) Latin for speckled, referring to brown to brownish-black spots on head and body

Myrichthys magnificus (Abbott 1860) Latin for splendid, presumably referring to the attractive appearance of its chocolate-brown spots

Myrichthys ocellatus (Lesueur 1825) Latin for having little eyes (ocelli), referring to eye-like spots (dark with small bright centers) on body

Myrichthys paleracio McCosker & Allen 2012 in honor of dive guide and underwater photographer Christopher “Peri” Paleracio, who collected holotype [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Myrichthys pantostigmius Jordan & McGregor 1898 pantós (Gr. παντός), all, whole or very; stigmius, Neo-Latin coinage apparently based on stigmosus (L.), marked or spotted, referring to numerous large brown to brownish-black spots along sides, at base of dorsal fin, and “covering the whole belly”

Myrichthys pardalis (Valenciennes 1839) párdalis (Gr. πάρδαλις), leopard, presumably referring to brown spots with bright centers on body

Myrichthys xysturus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) spike-tailed, from xustón (Gr. ξυστόν), spike or shaft of spear, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to pointed tail with sharp tip [sometimes known as M. tigrinus Girard 1859, a secondary homonym of Muraena tigrina Rüppell 1830 when both are in Myrichthys]

Mystriophis Kaup 1856 mystríon (Gr. μυστρίον), diminutive of mýstron (Gr. μύστρον), spoon, referring to snout shape of M. rostellatus, rounded and narrow, like the shape of a spoon; óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Mystriophis crosnieri Blache 1971 in honor of French carcinologist Alain Crosnier (1930–2021), for his many collections [he initiated many deepwater trawl surveys, see Dipturus crosnieri, Rajidae] and “many informed opinions” (translation)

Mystriophis rostellatus (Richardson 1848) Neo-Latin adjective of rostellum, diminutive of rostrum (L.), snout, i.e., small-beaked, presumably referring to narrow, rounded snout, like the shape of a spoon

Ophichthus Ahl 1789 ophi-, from óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, referring to snake-like appearance of O. ophis; ichthus, variant spelling of ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Four subgenera (in addition to Ophichthus) are recognized by some workers: Centrurophis Kaup 1856 centrum (L.). sharp point, presumably referring to hard caudal tip (sharply pointed in some species, blunt in others), and ophis (Gr.), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like appearance; Coecilophis Kaup 1856 coecil-, etymology not explained, perhaps a variant spelling of caecilian, the snake-like amphibian, which type species, C. comphor (=O. apicalis), superficially resembles, and ophis (see above); Microdonophis Kaup 1856 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to minute but sharp teeth of O. altipennis, and ophis (see above); and Omochelys Fowler 1918 ōmós (Gr. ὠμός), raw or rough (Fowler said “cruel,”) referring to “savage habits” of O. cruentifer (see entry for that species), and chelys, short for énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel.

Ophichthus alleni McCosker 2010 in honor of American-born Australian ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his “numerous and diverse contributions to the knowledge of fishes of Australia and beyond”

Ophichthus altipennis (Kaup 1856) altus (L.), high; pennis, Neo-Latin adjective of penna, fin, referring to its greatly developed fins, especially its high dorsal fin

Ophichthus aniptocheilos McCosker 2010 ániptos (Gr. ἄνιπτος), unwashed; cheí̄los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to brown speckling along edge of lips

Ophichthus apachus McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 a-, Latinized Greek prefixed particle from ἀ, i.e., without; páchos (Gr. πάχος), thickness, referring to its very slender and elongate body

Ophichthus aphotistos McCosker & Chen 2000 aphṓtistos (Gr. ἀφώτιστος), dark or obscure, referring to both black coloration in life (grayish-brown to black in ethanol) and deepwater (700–800 m) habitat

Ophichthus apicalis (Anonymous [Bennett] 1830) Latin for apex or point, referring to how dorsal, anal and caudal fins converge to form a pointed tail

Ophichthus arneutes McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 arneutḗs (Gr. ἀρνευτής), diver, referring to its occurrence at depths of 434–557 m and the use of the Johnson Sea-Link submersible to collect holotype

Ophichthus asakusae Jordan & Snyder 1901 of the Asakusa Aquarium, Tokyo, Japan, which supplied holotype

Ophichthus bicolor McCosker & Ho 2015 bi-, from bis (L.), twice, i.e., two-colored, referring to yellowish-tan body strongly contrasting with white throat and belly

Ophichthus bonaparti (Kaup 1856) in honor of French biologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte (1803–1857), who supplied holotype

Ophichthus brachynotopterus Karrer 1983 brachýs (Gr. βραχύς), short; nótos (Gr. νότος), back; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, presumably referring to posterior dorsal-fin origin, making for a shorter dorsal fin [often dated 1982]

Ophichthus brasiliensis (Kaup 1856) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, type locality (possibly erroneous)

Ophichthus brevicaudatus Chu, Wu & Jin 1981 brevis (L.), short; caudatus (L.), tailed, referring to shorter tail compared with O. stenopterus

Ophichthus brevidorsalis Chiu & Hibino 2019 brevis (L.), short; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to dorsal-fin origin behind pectoral-fin tip, easily distinguished from related species in which dorsal fin arises above or behind pectoral fin

Ophichthus brevirostris McCosker & Ross 2007 brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to short, blunt and rounded snout when viewed from above

Ophichthus celebicus (Bleeker 1856) –icus (L.), belonging to: Manado, Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, type locality

Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker 1864 cephalo-, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head; zona (L.), band, referring to broad black band across nape

Ophichthus chennaiensis Das, Mohapatra, Rajendar & Bhaskar 2020 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, where type locality (Kasimedu fishing harbor) is situated

Ophichthus chilkensis Chaudhuri 1916 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Chilka Lake (a brackish water lagoon), Odisha, India, type locality

Ophichthus congroides McCosker 2010 -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: : Conger, referring to similarity of posterior nostril, which opens within outer lip, to that of some congrids

Ophichthus cruentifer (Goode & Bean 1896) Latin for bloody but authors say it means sanguinary (causing bloodshed) or cruel, reflecting their mistaken belief that it is a parasitic borer (specimens were found inside bodies of other fishes)

Ophichthus cylindroideus (Ranzani 1839) –eus, Latin suffix, having the quality of: cylindros, from kýlindros (Gr. κύλινδρος), cylinder, referring to its body shape

Ophichthus echeloides (D’Ancona 1928) -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eí̄dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: described from a leptocephalus presumed to be in the family Echelidae (=Ophichthidae)

Ophichthus erabo (Jordan & Snyder 1901) Japanese name of venomous sea snake Platurus fasciatus (=Laticauda colubrina), which it resembles

Ophichthus exourus McCosker 1999 éxouros (Gr. ἔξουρος), conical (or, per McCosker, ending in a tapered point), referring to how its robust body tapers evenly to tail tip

Ophichthus fasciatus (Chu, Wu & Jin 1981) Latin for banded, described as having more than 20 vertical black bands on body

Ophichthus fowleri (Jordan & Evermann 1903) patronym not identified but certainly in honor of American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler (1878–1965), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and a student of Jordan’s at Stanford University

Ophichthus frontalis Garman 1899 Latin for frontal, also used to indicate forehead, probably referring to “somewhat large” head

Ophichthus genie McCosker 1999 in honor of American ichthyologist Eugenia (Genie) B. Böhlke (1929–2001), Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, “friend and contributor to knowledge of apodal fishes” [presumably a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Ophichthus gomesii (Castelnau 1855) in honor of physician-botanist Antônio Ildefonso Gomes de Freitas (1794–1859), who cured Castelnau of a malady in Rio de Janeiro

Ophichthus grandoculis (Cantor 1849) grandis (L.), large; oculis, artificially derived from oculus (L.), eye, referring to its “comparatively large” eye, which “occupies nearly the whole space between the lip and the profile”

Ophichthus hirritus McCosker 2010 Latin for snarling (like a dog), referring to how its jaw teeth are exposed and lips do not meet when mouth is closed

Ophichthus humanni McCosker 2010 in honor of Paul Humann (b. 1937), American underwater photographer, author and friend, who has “generously aided ichthyologists with his photographs and observations”

Ophichthus hyposagmatus McCosker & Böhlke 1984 hypó (Gr. ὑπό), somewhat; ságmatos (Gr. σάγματος), genitive of ságma (σάγμα), pack-saddle, referring to 16 faint tan saddles along body

Ophichthus ishiyamorum McCosker 2010 –orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of sibling philanthropists Nelson (b. 1944) and Patsy (b. 1937) Ishiyama for their interest in, and generous support of, ichthyological research

Ophichthus johnmccoskeri Mohapatra, Ray, Mohanty & Mishra 2018 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, for “vast” contributions to the taxonomy of ophichthid eels

Ophichthus kailashchandrai Mohapatra, Ray, Mohanty & Mishra 2020 in honor of Kailash Chandra, Director, Zoological Survey of India, for his “vast” contributions to Indian animal taxonomy

Ophichthus kunaloa McCosker 1979 named for Kuna Loa, the Long Eel of ancient Hawaiian legends, whose cut tail evolved into to the common conger eel and whose blood gave rise to all other Hawaiian eels (“This, clearly,” McCosker wrote, “was the first attempt at a phylogenetic interpretation of Hawaiian anguilliforms.”)

Ophichthus kusanagi Hibino, McCosker & Tashiro 2019 named for the ancient holy sword kusanagi-no-tsurugi (one of the Three Imperial Regalia of Japan), which was used by the legendary Japanese prince Yamato Takeru no Mikoto (ca. 72–114) for cutting grass and avoiding disaster at Suruga-no-kuni (now Shizuoka Prefecture), where type locality (Suruga Bay) is situated

Ophichthus lentiginosus McCosker 2010 Latin for freckled, referring to fine dark freckles over its entire body

Ophichthus leonensis Blache 1975 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off the coast of Sierra Leone, type locality and only known area of occurrence

Ophichthus limkouensis Chen 1929 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Limkou, Kwangtung, China, type locality

Ophichthus lithinus (Jordan & Richardson 1908) líthinos (Gr. λίθινος), made of stone (“marbled, like stone,” per the authors), referring to dark mottling on dorsal surface and sides, tending in places to form vague crossbands

Ophichthus longicorpus Vo & Ho 2021 longus (L.), long; corpus (L.), body, referring to its “very long” trunk (4.1–4.9 times HL)

Ophichthus longipenis McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 longus (L.), long; penis (L.), tail, referring to its long tail, 74–80% of TL

Ophichthus lupus Hibino, McCosker & Tashiro 2019 Latin for wolf, referring to wolf-like shape of snout, described as “long and acute”

Ophichthus machidai McCosker, Ide & Endo 2012 in honor of Japanese ichthyologist Yoshihiko Machida, who guided second author (Sachiko Ide) through her thesis at Kochi University, Kochi, Japan

Ophichthus macrochir (Bleeker 1852) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; chir from cheir (Gr. χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its long pectoral fins, ⅓ length of head

Ophichthus macrops Günther 1910 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its large eyes, ½ as long as snout and nearly ⅓ length of head

Ophichthus maculatus (Rafinesque 1810) Latin for spotted, referring to scattered spots on body

Ophichthus manilensis Herre 1923 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Manila, referring to Manila Bay (Cavite, Philippines) and/or to Tondo market in Manila, co-type localities

Ophichthus marginatus (Peters 1855) Latin for edged or bordered, referring to black edge on dorsal fin

Ophichthus mccoskeri Sumod, Hibino, Manjabrayakath & Sanjeevan 2019 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, for his “immense contributions to ophichthid eel systematics and phylogeny”

Ophichthus mecopterus McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 long-finned, from meco-, from mḗkos (Gr. μῆκος), length (authors say “long”), and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its elongate pectoral fins

Ophichthus megalops Asano 1987 mégas (Gr. μέγας), big; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, referring to its “remarkably” large eyes

Ophichthus melanoporus Kanazawa 1963 black-pored, from mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, and póros (Gr. πόρος), hole or pore, referring to conspicuous black pores on head and lateral line

Ophichthus melope McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 mélas (Gr. μέλας), black; opḗ (Gr. ὀπή), hole or cavity, referring to head pores conspicuously surrounded by rings, or melanophores

Ophichthus menezesi McCosker & Böhlke 1984 in honor of Brazilian ichthyologist Naercio A. Menezes (b. 1937), for his “generous contributions” of specimens, including holotype of this one, to the authors’ eel research

Ophichthus microcephalus Day 1878 small-headed, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small, and kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its smaller head compared with Pisodonophis boro and Myrichthys colubrinus, its presumed congeners at the time

Ophichthus microstictus McCosker 2010 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; stictus, from stiktós (Gr. στικτός), pricked or spotted, referring to its minute cephalic pores

Ophichthus mystacinus McCosker 1999 scientific Neo-Latin adjective of mýstax (Gr. μύσταξ), moustache, referring to high density of dark spots surrounding base of anterior nostril tubes, “appearing like a faint mustache”

Ophichthus naevius Kodeeswaran, Kathirvelpandian, Mohapatra, Kumar & Sarkar 2023 Latin for having moles or spots, referring to numerous dark spots on dorsal surface of body

Ophichthus naga McCosker & Psomadakis 2018 Nāga, a seagoing, serpentine dragon-like being in Buddhism that has great powers; they are able to swim through the earth as if it was water, a behavior not unlike that of ophichthid eels

Ophichthus nansen McCosker & Psomadakis 2018 named for the EAF-Nansen Prorgramme and in honor of Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930), “famous” Norwegian explorer and scientist for whom the programme and research vessel were named; since 1975, the “EAF-Nansen Programme has contributed to increasing the knowledge of global marine biodiversity while supporting developing countries in fisheries research and sustainable management of their resources throughout surveys at sea and capacity building” [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Ophichthus nigroventralis Kodeeswaran, Mohapatra & Kumar 2023 nigro-, from niger (L.), dark or black; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to numerous black dots on abdomen  

Ophichthus obtusus McCosker, Ide & Endo 2012 Latin for blunt or dull, referring to its short and conical snout

Ophichthus oligosteus Hibino, McCosker & Tashiro 2019 olígos (Gr. ὀλίγος), few or scanty; osteus (Neo-Latin), bony, from ostéon (Gr. ὀστέον), bone, having the fewest vertebrae (46 preanal and 121 overall) in the genus

Ophichthus olivaceus McCosker & Bogorodsky 2020 Latin for olive-colored, referring to dark tan with olivaceous hue color in life

Ophichthus omorgmus McCosker & Böhlke 1984 Latinization of ómorgma (Gr. ὄμοργμα), that which is wiped off or swept away (i.e., spot, stain or dirt, whereas authors say name means “spotted”), referring to conspicuous spots (black pores) around lateral line

Ophichthus ophis (Linnaeus 1758) óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, referring to its snake-like appearance

Ophichthus pallens (Richardson 1848) Latin for pale or pallid, referring to its “pale honey-yellow or faint wood-brown” coloration, “lighter on the belly, and without spots”

Ophichthus polyophthalmus Bleeker 1864 polý- (Gr. πολύ), many; ophthalmós (Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to numerous ocellated (eye-like) spots on head and body

Ophichthus pratasensis Ho, Ng & Lin 2022 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Pratas Island, the only island of Dongsha Atoll, “whose large coral reefs surrounded by deep sea are situated near the holotype’s collection site. With this name we also hope to call attention to the possible damage that frequent fishery activity in the area might be causing to the environment and natural resources of Dongsha Atoll.”

Ophichthus pullus McCosker 2005 Latin for dark, referring to uniform gray-brown-to-black coloration in ethanol

Ophichthus puncticeps (Kaup 1859) punctum (L.), dot; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to characteristic pattern of white dots and dashes on snout and head

Ophichthus remiger (Valenciennes 1837) etymology not explained nor evident, possibly remus (L.), oar, and -iger (L.), to bear (if so, allusion not evident); Valenciennes changed spelling to ramiger, leading to speculation that name refers to Port Rame, Chile, type locality (no contemporary locality has that name, possibly referring to present-day Estero Rama, south of Valparaiso)

Ophichthus retrodorsalis Liu, Tang & Zhang 2010 retro– (L.), behind; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to dorsal-fin origin far behind tip of pectoral fins

Ophichthus rex Böhlke & Caruso 1980 Latin for king, referring to preeminently large size (>2 m has been reported)

Ophichthus rotundus Lee & Asano 1997 Latin for round or circular, referring to almost completely cylindrical body shape

Ophichthus rufus (Rafinesque 1810) Latin for red or reddish, referring to color of head (actually yellow-brown)

Ophichthus rugifer Jordan & Bollman 1890 ruga (L.), wrinkle or crease; fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to longitudinal striations obvious on larger specimens

Ophichthus rutidoderma (Bleeker 1852) rutido-, from rhytidṓdēs (Gr. ῥυτιδώδης), wrinkled; dérma (Gr. δέρμα), skin, referring to longitudinal furrows on skin

Ophichthus sangjuensis (Ji & Kim 2011) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sangju, South Sea of Korea, type locality

Ophichthus semilunatus Hibino & Chiu 2019 semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; lunatus (L.), lunate, referring to half-moon blotch on anterior margin of anus

Ophichthus serpentinus Seale 1917 Latin for snake-like, probably referring to its elongate, cylindrical and hence snake-like shape

Ophichthus shaoi McCosker & Ho 2015 in honor of Taiwanese ichthyologist and marine ecologist Kwang-Tsao Shao (b. 1951), Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

Ophichthus singapurensis Bleeker 1864 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Singapore, type locality

Ophichthus spinicauda (Norman 1922) spina (L.), thorn or spine; cauda (L.), tail, referring to short section of erect and thickened (“spinous”) rays in posterior segment of dorsal fin (near tail)

Ophichthus tchangi Tang & Zhang 2002 in honor of Tchunlin Tchang (1897–1963), Curator of Zoology, Fan Memorial Institute of Biology, “China’s leading authority on ichthyology and fishery science”

Ophichthus tetratrema McCosker & Rosenblatt 1998 tetrá (Gr. τετρά), four; trḗma (Gr. τρῆμα), hole, referring to unique presence of four preopercular pores

Ophichthus tomioi McCosker 2010 in honor of American ichthyologist Tomio Iwamoto (b. 1939), California Academy of Sciences, friend and colleague who captured holotype

Ophichthus triserialis (Kaup 1856) tri– (L.), three; serialis (L.), rowed, referring to two rows of large, round spots on dorsal fin and lateral line, and a third row going as far as anus

Ophichthus unicolor Regan 1908 uni-, from unus (L.), one, referring to uniformly brownish coloration

Ophichthus urolophus (Temminck & Schlegel 1846) uro, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail; lóphos (Gr. λόφος), mane or crest, referring to elevated posterior portions of vertical (dorsal and anal) fins (which, as in all eels, converge at the tail)

Ophichthus vietnamensis Vo, Hibino & Ho 2019 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off Ky Ha, central coast of Vietnam, type locality

Ophichthus woosuitingi Chen 1929 in honor of S. T. (Sui-ting) Woo, Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), assistant to Prof. H. N. Fey, who (Fey) discovered this species

Ophichthus yamakawai Hibino, McCosker & Tashiro 2019 in honor of Takeshi Yamakawa (b. 1942), Kochi University (Japan), a fish collecting specialist and ichthyologist, for his “great” contributions to taxonomy and the study of Japanese fishes

Ophichthus zophistius (Jordan & Snyder 1901) zopherós (Gr. ζοφερός), dusky or gloomy; istius, from histíon (Gr. ἱστίον), sail, referring to “posteriorly dusky” dorsal fin, with a broad black edge

Ophichthus zophochir Jordan & Gilbert 1882 zóphos (Gr. ζόφος), darkness; chir from cheir (Gr. χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to occasionally black pectoral fin on adults

Ophisurus Lacepède 1800 óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, referring to snake-like appearance, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to pointed (i.e., snake-like) caudal fin of O. serpens

Ophisurus macrorhynchos Bleeker 1853 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long; rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its long, sharp snout

Ophisurus serpens (Linnaeus 1758) Latin for snake, referring to its serpentine shape and habits, and reflecting a vernacular (e.g., sea snake, serpent marin, serpent de mer) that dates to Aristotle

Paraletharchus McCosker 1974 pará (Gr. παρά), beside or near, representing a separate generic lineage from Letharchus, in which P. pacificus had previously been placed

Paraletharchus opercularis (Myers & Wade 1941) Latin for opercular, referring to “pendulous, operculumlike fold of skin hanging down over and screening gill openings”

Paraletharchus pacificus (Osburn & Nichols 1916) –icus (L.), belonging to: referring to its occurrence in the Eastern Pacific compared with the Gulf of Mexico distribution of its presumed congener Letharchus velifer

Phaenomonas Myers & Wade 1941 phanerós (Gr. φανερός), visible; mónas (Gr. μόνας), single, referring to absence of all fins except for a “brief, anteriorly placed, well-defined dorsal fin”

Phaenomonas cooperae Palmer 1970 in honor of Jane M. Cooper, Department of Cooperative Society, Suva, Fiji, who collected holotype while living at Betio, Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati, Western Pacific)

Phaenomonas foresti (Cadenat & Roux 1964) in honor of French carcinologist Jacques Forest (1920–2012), who led Calypso mission that collected holotype at Cape Verde Islands

Phaenomonas longissima (Cadenat & Marchal 1963) Latin for very long, referring to its extreme length (498 mm TL in type series, up to 553 mm TL known)

Phaenomonas pinnata Myers & Wade 1941 Latin for finned but possibly used here as a diminutive of pinna (L.), fin, referring to “brief, anteriorly placed, well-defined dorsal fin” (eel is otherwise finless)

Phyllophichthus Gosline 1951 phýllon (Gr. φύλλον), leaf, referring to anterior nostrils with posterior borders extending downward into leaf-like appendages; Ophichthus, type genus of family

Phyllophichthus xenodontus Gosline 1951 xen-, xenikós (Gr. ξενικός), strange (i.e., different); odontus, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to dentition, different from all other ophichthids (two rows of conical teeth on intermaxillary plate; single row of smaller teeth on inner border of each maxillary; no vomerine teeth; mandibular teeth large, uniserial, well outside of maxillary teeth and projecting directly laterally)

Pisodonophis Kaup 1856 pis, pisum (L.), pea, and odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to granular, pea-shaped teeth; óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Pisodonophis boro (Hamilton 1822) Bengali vernacular for this eel, presumably derived from boro, a variety of rice, possibly alluding to this anadromous eel’s occurrence (and reported spawning) in rice paddies

Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson 1848) cancer (L.), crab; –vorus (L.), eating, allusion not explained but clearly referring to its crab diet

Pisodonophis copelandi Herre 1953 in honor of American botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland (1873–1964), founder of the Philippine College of Agriculture and friend to both Herre and the Philippine people

Pisodonophis daspilotus Gilbert 1898 da– (Gr. δα), intensive prefix, i.e., very or exceedingly; spilōtós (Gr. σπιλωτός), marked or stained, presumably referring to thick covering of black spots on head and body

Pisodonophis hijala (Hamilton 1822) presumably Bengali vernacular for this eel

Pisodonophis hoeveni (Bleeker 1853) in honor of the “famous” (translation) Dutch zoologist, Jan van der Hoeven (1801–1868)

Pisodonophis hypselopterus (Bleeker 1851) high-finned, fromhypsēlós (Gr. ὑψηλός), high, and pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to elevated dorsal and, especially, anal fins

Pisodonophis kalinga Mohanty, Behera, Acharya, Patnaik, Ray, Seth, Patro, Mishra &  Mohapatra 2023 Kalinga, historical name of Odisha, India, where type localities (Chilika lagoon and Palur canal, connecting link between the Bay of Bengal and Chilika) are situated

Pisodonophis semicinctus (Richardson 1848) semi-, from semis (L.), a half or moiety; cinctus (L.), belted or girdled, referring to 18 deep purplish-brown spots or bars that band around upper half of body, fading away below lateral line, except for last three, which encircle tail

Quassiremus Jordan & Davis 1891 quassus, from quatio (L.), to move or shake, i.e., shaken, beaten, broken in pieces, battered or shattered (authors say “obliterated”); remus (L.), oar, referring to minute pectoral fins of Q. evionthas and O. notochir

Quassiremus ascensionis (Studer 1889) –is, Latin genitive singular of: east of Ascension Island, South Atlantic Ocean, type locality

Quassiremus evionthas (Jordan & Bollman 1890) ev-, Latinization of eū́– (Gr. εὖ), well or very; ionthás (Gr. ἰονθάς), shaggy but used here to mean freckled, referring to small black spots over body

Quassiremus nothochir (Gilbert 1890) nóthos (Gr. νόθος), spurious; chir, from cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its minute pectoral fins

Quassiremus polyclitellum Castle 1996 polý- (Gr. πολύ), many; clitellum, from clitellae (L., only in plural), referring to 16–20 prominent saddle-shaped bars across dorsum

Rhinophichthus McCosker 1999 rhinós (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, referring to conical snout, tapering evenly to a sharp point; Ophichthus, type genus of family

Rhinophichthus penicillatus McCosker 1999 –atus (L.), having the nature of: penicillus (L.), pencil, referring to sharpened-pencil appearance of both head and tail

Scytalichthys Jordan & Davis 1891 σκυτάλη (Gr. σκυτάλη), serpent or viper, one of the many venomous snakes born from the blood of Medusa in the Libyan desert, presumably referring to its snake-like appearance; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Scytalichthys miurus (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) short-tailed, from meióō (Gr. μειόω), to lessen, diminish, i.e., shortened or curtailed, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to its “unusually short” tail

Stictorhinus Böhlke & McCosker 1975 stiktós (Gr. στικτός), pricked or punctured; rhinus, from rhinós (Gr. ῥινός), genitive of rhís (ῥίς), snout, referring to its tubeless anterior nostrils, which consist of a hole with lateral fleshy projections into it

Stictorhinus potamius Böhlke & McCosker 1975 –ius (L.), pertaining to: potamos (Gr. ποταμός), river, referring to its freshwater habitat (Amazon and Orinoco River basins)

Suculentophichthus Fricke, Golani & Appelbaum-Golani 2015 suculentus (L.), succulent, referring to succulent-leaf shaped snout appendages, characteristic of genus; Ophichthus, type genus of family

Suculentophichthus nasus Fricke, Golani & Appelbaum-Golani 2015 Latin for nose, referring to its nose-like snout

Xestochilus McCosker 1998 xestos (Gr.), smoothed (i.e., shaven); cheilus (Gr.), lip, referring to smooth (without a crease, split or barbel) upper lip

Xestochilus nebulosus (Smith 1962) Latin for cloudy, referring to “variable dusky cloudings” over most of dorsal surface on larger, older specimens

Xyrias Jordan & Snyder 1901 from xuréō (Gr. ξυρέω), to shave, referring to absence of cirri on lips of X. revulsus (authors say name is from ξυρίας, which they translate as “shaveling”)

Xyrias anjaalai Augustina, Sreeram, Sukumaran, Jose & Sreekumar 2020 common name of this eel among Malayalam- and Tamil-speaking local fishing communities in the southern parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of India

Xyrias chioui McCosker, Chen & Chen 2009 in honor of Capt. Jiun-Shiun Chiou, who captured and donated holotype other important eel specimens to the laboratory of the National Taiwan Ocean University

Xyrias guineensis (Blache 1975) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Guinea, off Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, type locality

Xyrias multiserialis (Norman 1939) multi– (L.), many; serialis (L.), rowed, presumably referring to eight series or rows of teeth in upper jaw

Xyrias revulsus Jordan & Snyder 1901 Latin for smooth-shaven or twice plucked, referring to the absence of cirri on its lips

Yirrkala Whitley 1940 named for Yirrkala, Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia, type locality of Y. chaselingi

Yirrkala calyptra McCosker 2011 from kalýptra, (Gr. Καλύπτρα), veil, referring to its distinctive black facial slash

Yirrkala chaselingi Whitley 1940 in honor of Rev. Wilbur S. Chaseling (1910–1989), Methodist missionary at Yirrkala, Australia (type locality), who “presented” holotype

Yirrkala fusca (Zuiew 1793) Latin for dusky, dark or swarthy, referring to its uniform dark coloration

Yirrkala gjellerupi (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) in honor of Danish botanist and army surgeon Knud Gjellerup (1876–1950), who collected holotype

Yirrkala insolitus McCosker 1999 Latin for unusual or strange, referring to dorsal-fin origin far posterior to that of other Yirrkala, and to depth of capture (59 m), deeper than its shallow-water congeners

Yirrkala kaupii (Bleeker 1858) in honor of German naturalist (and apodal fish expert) Johann Jacob Kaup (1803–1873), for his many ichthyological discoveries

Yirrkala lumbricoides (Bleeker 1864) -oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: lumbricus (L.), earthworm, referring to its vermiform body shape

Yirrkala macrodon (Bleeker 1863) macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long; odon, Latinized and grammatically adjusted from the Greek nominative ὀδούς (odoús), tooth, referring to larger, stronger teeth compared with Sphagebranchus (=Lamnostoma) polyophthalma and S. (L.) bicolor (the latter being a taxon of uncertain validity)

Yirrkala maculata (Klausewitz 1964) Latin for spotted, referring to row of elongated dark brown spots above lateral line that gradually merge into each other near anus, and/or to small dots under lateral line, each one corresponding to a lateral-line pore

Yirrkala misolensis (Günther 1872) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Misool Island (misspelled Misol), Irian Jaya, Indonesia, type locality

Yirrkala moluccensis (Bleeker 1864) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Ambon Island, Moluccas Islands, Indonesia, type locality

Yirrkala moorei McCosker 2006 in honor of Intel co-founder and philanthropist Gordon E. Moore (b. 1929), for “his interest in fishes, his love of fishing, and his support of biodiversity research and conservation”

Yirrkala omanensis (Norman 1939) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Gulf of Oman, type locality and only known area of occurrence

Yirrkala ori McCosker 2011 named for the Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) of South Africa, which collected holotype and many other “valuable” specimens

Yirrkala philippinensis (Herre 1936) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: referring to type locality at Dumaguete, Oriental Negros, Philippines

Yirrkala tenuis (Günther 1870) Latin for thin or slender, probably referring to its thin, elongate body

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Worm Eels
Subfamily MYROPHINAE Kaup 1856

Ahlia Jordan & Davis 1891 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: Jonas Nicholas Ahl (1765–1817), Swedish physician and student of Linnaeus, whose 1789 thesis (“De Muraena et Ophichtho”) “furnishes the beginning of our systematic arrangement of the eels”

Ahlia egmontis (Jordan 1884) –is, Latin genitive singular of: Egmont Key, Florida, USA, type locality

Asarcenchelys McCosker 1985 ásarkos (Gr. ἄσαρκος), without flesh or lean, referring to its “emaciated” appearance; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Asarcenchelys longimanus McCosker 1985 longus (L.), long; manus (L.), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to elongate pectoral fins

Benthenchelys Fowler 1934 bénthos (Gr. βένθος ), of the sea (Fowler said “of the depths”), referring to deepwater habitat of B. cartieri (collected at 1252.73 m); énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Benthenchelys cartieri Fowler 1934 in honor of German herpetologist-ichthyologist Oscar Cartier, University of Würzburg, who studied Philippine fishes in 1874

Benthenchelys indicus Castle 1972 –icus (L.), belonging to: known only from the Indian Ocean

Benthenchelys pacificus Castle 1972 –icus (L.), belonging to: known only from the Central Pacific

Glenoglossa McCosker 1982 glḗnos (Gr. γλῆνος), trinket, bijou or jewel (McCosker said “a thing to stare at”); glṓssa (Gr. γλῶσσα), tongue, referring to its elongate tongue, extending well beyond mouth and decorated with a fleshy appendage

Glenoglossa wassi McCosker 1982 in honor of fisheries officer Richard C. Wass (b. 1942), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who collected holotype and many other fishes from American Samoa

Mixomyrophis McCosker 1985 míxis (Gr. μίξις), a mixing; Myrophis, type genus of subfamily, referring to its combination of myrophine characters

Mixomyrophis longidorsalis Hibino, Kimura & Golani 2014 longus (L.), long; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to its longer dorsal-fin base compared with M. pusillipinna

Mixomyrophis pusillipinna McCosker 1985 pusillus (L.), puny or insignificant; pinna (L.), fin, referring to its minute pectoral fins

Muraenichthys Bleeker 1853 Muraena, moray eel, reflecting Bleeker’s original placement of M. gymnopterus in that genus; ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish

Muraenichthys gymnopterus (Bleeker 1852) gymnós (Gr. γυμνός), bare or naked; pterus, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to absence of pectoral fins

Muraenichthys hattae Jordan & Snyder 1901 in honor of zoologist Saburo Hatta (1865–1935), Imperial University, Tokyo, for his “excellent” paper on Japanese lampreys [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]

Muraenichthys hibinoi Mohapatra, Behera, Ray, Acharya, Mohanty & Mishra 2023 in honor of Yusuke Hibino, Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History (Japan), for his “distinguished” contribution to Anguilliformes taxonomy, particularly ophichthid eels

Muraenichthys longirostris Hibino, Ho & McCosker 2019 longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to long and slender snout (18% of head length), unique in the genus

Muraenichthys philippinensis Schultz & Woods 1949 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Badian Island, Philippines, type locality

Muraenichthys schultzei Bleeker 1857 in honor of Jan Francois Schultze (1817–1884), Assistant-Resident (i.e., governor) of Ambal, Java, who provided an important collection of fishes from the south coast of Java

Muraenichthys sibogae Weber & de Beaufort 1916 in honor of the ship Siboga and Indonesian expedition (1898–1899) of same name, during which holotype was collected

Muraenichthys thompsoni Jordan & Richardson 1908 in honor of Joseph Cheesman Thompson (1874–1943), U.S. Navy medical officer (neurosurgeon), amateur zoologist-archaeologist, co-founder of the Zoological Society of San Diego, psychoanalyst, and Burmese cat breeder, who collected holotype

Muraenichthys velinasalis Hibino & Kimura 2015 velum (L.), veil; nasalis (L.), nasal, referring to posterior nostril concealed by a large flap

Myrophis Lütken 1852 myros, presumably a Latinization of mū́ros (Gr. μῦρος), with two definitions, a kind of eel and, specifically, a male moray, probably used here as a general word for eel; óphis (Gr. ὄφις), serpent, conventional termination for generic names of snake (ophichthid) eels, referring to their snake-like shape

Myrophis anterodorsalis McCosker, Böhlke & Böhlke 1989 antero- (L.), anterior; dorsalis (L.), of the back, referring to anterior origin of dorsal fin

Myrophis lepturus Kotthaus 1968 thin-tailed, fromleptós (Gr. λεπτός), fine or thin, and urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to very low and thin tail compared with body

Myrophis microchir (Bleeker 1864) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; chir, from cheír (Gr. χείρ), hand (homologous to the pectoral fin), referring to its small pectoral fins, about 4½ times within length of head

Myrophis platyrhynchus Breder 1927 flat- (or broad-) snouted, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), broad and/or flat, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its “peculiar broad flat snout”

Myrophis plumbeus (Cope 1871) Latin for “of lead,” i.e., lead-colored, referring to ventral coloration of holotype

Myrophis punctatus Lütken 1852 Latin for spotted, referring to dark-brown spots on sides and back

Myrophis vafer Jordan & Gilbert 1883 Latin for sly or cunning, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its similarity to and previous misidentification as M. punctatus

Neenchelys Bamber 1915 neos (Gr.), new; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel, literally a new family (Neenchelidae, now synonymized) and genus of eels

Neenchelys andamanensis Hibino, Satapoomin & Kimura 2015 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Andaman Sea, eastern Indian Ocean, type locality

Neenchelys buitendijki Weber & de Beaufort 1916 in honor of Pieter Buitendijk (1870–1932), surgeon aboard the Siboga expedition, who collected holotype from the Java Sea

Neenchelys cheni (Chen & Weng 1967) in honor of Tung-Pai Chen, chief, Section of Fisheries, Joint Sino-American Commission on Rural Reconstruction (JCCR), for “financial support and kind encouragement”

Neenchelys daedalus McCosker 1982 named after Deadalus, the “Greek artisan who escaped from his Earth-bound prison and ascended into heaven,” referring to its midwater habitat, the second ophichthid known to have left the substrate and live in midwater (the first being Benthenchelys cartieri)

Neenchelys diaphora Ho, McCosker & Smith 2015 diáphoros (Gr. διάφορος), different, initially recognized as being closely similar to N. pelagica but confirmed to be different with newly collected specimens [proposed in 2013 but not made available until 2015]

Neenchelys gracilis Ho & Loh 2015 Latin for slender or slim, referring to its very slim body

Neenchelys mccoskeri Hibino, Ho & Kimura 2013 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, for his “great” contributions to eel systematics and for allowing the authors to describe this species, which he first recognized in 1999

Neenchelys microtretus Bamber 1915 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; trētós (Gr. τρητός), perforated (i.e., with holes), probably referring to its small gill openings

Neenchelys nudiceps Tashiro, Hibino & Imamura 2015 nudus (L.), naked or bare; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to the smooth (without papillae) upper and lateral surfaces of its snout

Neenchelys parvipectoralis Chu, Wu & Jin 1981 parvus (L.), little; pectoralis (L.), pectoral, referring to “smaller and weaker” pectoral fins compared with N. buitendijki

Neenchelys pelagica Ho, McCosker & Smith 2015 pelagic, from pélagos, (Gr. πέλᾰγος), sea, referring to its mesopelagic (vs. benthic) habitat [proposed in 2013 but not made available until 2015]

Neenchelys similis Ho, McCosker & Smith 2015 Latin for like or similar, referring to its similarity to N. daedalus [proposed in 2013 but not made available until 2015]

Pseudomyrophis Wade 1946 pseudo-, from pseúdēs (Gr. ψεύδης), false, i.e., although this genus may superficially resemble Myrophis, such an appearance is false

Pseudomyrophis atlanticus Blache 1975 –icus (L.), belonging to: referring to its distribution in the eastern tropical Atlantic

Pseudomyrophis frio (Jordan & Davis 1891) named for Cape Frio, near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, type locality

Pseudomyrophis fugesae McCosker, Böhlke & Böhlke 1989 in honor of scientific illustrator Mary H. Fuges (1916–2010), for her “artistic ability … meticulous attention to detail … and her patience and encouragement throughout the preparation” of the eel volume of “Fishes of the Western North Atlantic” series

Pseudomyrophis micropinna Wade 1946 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pinna (L.), fin, referring to its minute pectoral fins

Pseudomyrophis nimius Böhlke 1960 Latin for excessive, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “exceedingly elongate” body and/or greater length ( up to 323 mm) compared with P. micropinna (up to 139 mm)

Pylorobranchus McCosker & Chen 2013 pylōrós (Gr. πυλωρός), gatekeeper; from branchus, from bránchia (Gr. βράγχια), gills, referring to the lappet-like structure located before its gill opening

Pylorobranchus hearstorum McCosker 2014 –orum (L.), commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of William (b. 1949) and Margaret (b. 1958) Hearst, friends and philanthropists, who sponsored expedition that collected holotype

Pylorobranchus hoi McCosker, Lo & Lin 2013 in honor of Taiwanese ichthyologist Hsuan-Ching Ho (b. 1978), friend and colleague, who has studied eels and many other fishes of Taiwan

Schismorhynchus McCosker 1970 schísma (Gr. σχίσμα), cleft; rhýnchos (L. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to the prominent toothed groove on the underside of its snout

Schismorhynchus labialis (Seale 1917) Latin for of the lips, presumably referring to its “abnormally large [nostrils] resembling two large curved fangs hanging down from the upper lips”

Schultzidia Gosline 1951 –idia (L. suffix), having the nature of: Leonard P. Schultz (1901–1986), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum, who co-described the type species, S. johnstonensis

Schultzidia johnstonensis (Schultz & Woods 1949) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Johnston Island, Central Pacific, type locality

Schultzidia retropinnis (Fowler 1934) retro- (L.), back; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, referring to the posterior “insertion” of its dorsal fin

Scolecenchelys Ogilby 1897 skṓlēx (Gr. σκώληξ), worm, referring to worm-like shape of S. australis; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Scolecenchelys acutirostris (Weber & de Beaufort 1916) acutus (L.), sharp or pointed; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its “very pointed and prominent snout”

Scolecenchelys aoki (Jordan & Snyder 1901) in honor of Kumakichi Aoki, fisherman and assistant to Kakichi Mitsukuri in the Marine Laboratory at Misaki, “one of the best [fish] collectors in Japan” [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Scolecenchelys australis (Macleay 1881) Latin for southern, described from Australia, near Sydney

Scolecenchelys borealis (Machida & Shiogaki 1990) Latin for northern, referring to its northern distribution (Western North Pacific) compared with congeners

Scolecenchelys brevicaudata Hibino & Kimura 2015 brevis (L.), short; caudata (L.), tailed, referring to its relatively shorter tail compared with congeners

Scolecenchelys breviceps (Günther 1876) brevis (L.), short; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its shorter head compared with Muraenichthys (=Scolecenchelys) macropterus

Scolecenchelys castlei McCosker 2006 in honor of ichthyologist Peter H. J. Castle (1934–1999), Victoria University (Wellington, New Zealand), who recognized this eel as distinct but did not live to complete a description

Scolecenchelys chilensis (McCosker 1970) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Chile, indicating the offshore islands from which this species was taken, the first species of genus known from the New World

Scolecenchelys cookei (Fowler 1928) in honor of American conchologist Charles Montague Cooke, Jr. (1874–1948), for his “unselfish interest and influence in the many scientific projects which have their center in the Bishop Museum at Honolulu,” for the inception of Fowler’s monograph on Hawaiian fishes, and the “encouragement of his steadfast friendship,” through whom Fowler was “enabled to study new and interesting fishes, many of them the most beautiful of their kind”

Scolecenchelys fuscapenis McCosker, Ide & Endo 2012 fuscus (L.), dusky, dark or swarthy; penis (L.), tail, referring to prominent black spot on posterior tail region

Scolecenchelys fuscogularis Hibino, Kai & Kimura 2013 fuscus (L.), dusky, dark or swarthy; gularis (L.), of the throat, referring to its dark branchial basket

Scolecenchelys godeffroyi (Regan 1909) in honor of the Museum Godeffroy (Hamburg, Germany), where holotype was housed, and/or the museum’s founder, shipping magnate Johann Cesar VI. Godeffroy (1813–1885), who commissioned natural history collections in Australia and the South Seas

Scolecenchelys gymnota (Bleeker 1857) bare-backed, from γυμνός (Gr. γυμνός), bare or naked, and nṓtos (Gr. νῶτος), back, probably referring to its rudimentary dorsal fin, giving the appearance of a bare or naked dorsal surface

Scolecenchelys iredalei (Whitley 1927) in honor of British-born Australian ornithologist-malacologist Tom Iredale (1880–1972), Australian Museum, who accompanied Whitley on a collecting trip to Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, type locality

Scolecenchelys laticaudata (Ogilby 1897) latus (L.), wide or broad; caudata (L.), tailed, referring to its anal and dorsal fins “expanded and fan-shaped” around the tip of the tail

Scolecenchelys macroptera (Bleeker 1857) long-finned, from macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ptera, from pterón (Gr. πτερόν) or ptéryx (πτέρυξ), fin, referring to its longer dorsal fin, which begins near the gill openings, compared with Muraenichthys gymnotus (=Scolecenchelys gymnota)

Scolecenchelys nicholsae (Waite 1904) in honor of Mary Nichols (1846–1923), Lord Howe Island, wife of Thomas Nichols, a whaler captain who collected and/or provided many Australian fishes for Waite, and her daughters for the “many kindnesses” he received [preferably spelled nicholsarum since name honors more than one person, but ICZN 32.5.1 forbids such a correction]

Scolecenchelys profundorum (McCosker & Parin 199) Latin for “out of the depths,” referring to its deepwater (310 m) habitat

Scolecenchelys puhioilo (McCosker 1979) from the Hawaiian puhi oilo, “small eels about as large in diameter as a finger” (a delicacy among ancient Hawaiians), referring to its body width (7.5–15 mm)

Scolecenchelys robusta Hibino & Kimura 2015 Latin for fat or stout, referring to its robust body, i.e., body depth deeper than that of its congeners

Scolecenchelys vermiformis (Peters 1866) vermis (L.), worm; formis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma, shape or form, referring to its worm-like shape

Scolecenchelys xorae (Smith 1958) of the Xora River (specifically, its mouth), Transkei, South Africa, type locality

Skythrenchelys Castle & McCosker 1999 skythros (Gr.), angry or sullen, referring to the facial expressions of both species; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Skythrenchelys macrostomus (Bleeker 1864) large-mouthed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to wide cleft of mouth, reaching behind eye

Skythrenchelys zabra Castle & McCosker 1999 from zabrós (Gr. ζαβρός), gluttonous, referring to its ability to ingest very large prey

Sympenchelys Hibino, Ho & Kimura 2015 sympiézein (Gr. συμπιέζειν), compress, referring to its compressed body and neural and haemal spines; énchelys (Gr. ἔγχελυς), eel

Sympenchelys taiwanensis Hibino, Ho & Kimura 2015 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: known from northeastern and southwestern Taiwan