horsehair eel
Gordiichthys irretitus Jordan & Davis, 1891
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Horsehair eel (Gordiichthys irretitus) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by David Starr Jordan and Bradley Moore Davis in 1891. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Florida, USA, the Gulf of Mexico and Puerto Rico. It dwells at a depth range of 90 to 200 meters (300 to 660 ft), and inhabits sand and mud substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 76 centimeters (30 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Horsehair eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:33:20.568953+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gordiichthys irretitus Jordan & Davis, 1891
- Name authority
- Jordan & Davis, 1891
- Common name
- horsehair eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Gordiichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnguilliformes
- familyOphichthidae Günther, 1870
- subfamilyOphichthinae Günther, 1870
- genusGordiichthys Jordan & Davis, 1891
- speciesGordiichthys irretitus Jordan & Davis, 1891
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gordiichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| sooty eelGordiichthys leibyi McCosker & Böhlke, 1984 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gordiichthys combibus McCosker & Lavenberg, 2001 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| irksome eelGordiichthys ergodes McCosker, Böhlke & Böhlke, 1989 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gordiichthys randalli McCosker & Böhlke, 1984 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Jordan, D. S., & Davis, B. M. (1891). A preliminary review of the apodal fishes or eels inhabiting the waters of America and Europe. United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries Report of the Commissioner, v. 16 (art. 9): 581–677, Pls. 73–80. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3H2MP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.