pygmy pikeconger
Nettenchelys pygmaea Smith & Böhlke, 1981
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 pygmy pikeconger or pygmy duckbill eel, (Nettenchelys pygmaea) is an eel in the family Nettastomatidae (duckbill/witch eels). It was described by David G. Smith and James Erwin Böhlke in 1981. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Venezuela and the Gulf of Mexico, and possibly more locations. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 128 to 280 meters (420 to 919 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 20.1 centimeters (7.9 in).
The species epithet "pygmaea", meaning "small" in Greek, refers to the small size of mature specimens.
Wikipedia contributors, Pygmy pikeconger; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:01:10.897053+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nettenchelys pygmaea Smith & Böhlke, 1981
- Name authority
- Smith & Böhlke, 1981
- Common name
- pygmy pikeconger
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Nettastomatidae
- Genus
- Nettenchelys
- 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
- familyNettastomatidae Kaup, 1859
- genusNettenchelys Alcock, 1898
- speciesNettenchelys pygmaea Smith & Böhlke, 1981
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nettenchelys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nettenchelys paxtoni Karmovskaya, 1999 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nettenchelys inion Smith & Böhlke, 1981 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nettenchelys dionisi Brito, 1989 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nettenchelys exoria Böhlke & Smith, 1981 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nettenchelys gephyra Castle & Smith, 1981 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nettenchelys taylori Alcock, 1898 | NettastomatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Nettenchelys pygmaeus Smith & Böhlke, 1981 Smith & Böhlke, 1981 | synonym |
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.
- Smith, D. G., Böhlke, J. E., & Castle, P. H. J. (1981). A revision of the nettastomatid eel genera Nettastoma and Nettenchelys (Pisces: Anguilliformes), with descriptions of six new species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 94(2):535-560. 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:479QG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.