Ophichthus congroides McCosker, 2010
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
Ophichthus congroides is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by John E. McCosker in 2010. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the Tuamotu Islands, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. It is known to dwell at a depth of 300 metres (980 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 52.2 centimetres (20.6 in), while females can reach a maximum TL of 47.2 centimetres (18.6 in).
The species epithet "congroides" refers to the species' similarity in condition of the posterior nostril to that of some members of the family Congridae.
Wikipedia contributors, Ophichthus congroides; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:25:11.719654+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ophichthus congroides McCosker, 2010
- Name authority
- McCosker, 2010
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Ophichthus
- 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
- genusOphichthus Ahl, 1789
- speciesOphichthus congroides McCosker, 2010
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ophichthus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ophichthus aniptocheilos McCosker, 2010 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| thin snake eelOphichthus apachus McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bluntnose snake-eelOphichthus apicalis (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus arneutes McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus celebicus (Bleeker, 1856) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus cylindroideus (Ranzani, 1839) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus erabo (Jordan & Snyder, 1901) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus fowleri (Jordan & Evermann, 1903) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus grandoculis (Cantor, 1849) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus humanni McCosker, 2010 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus ishiyamorum McCosker, 2010 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ophichthus kunaloa McCosker, 1979 | 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.
- McCosker, J. E. (2010). Deepwater Indo-Pacific species of the snake-eel genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of nine new species. Zootaxa, 2505: 1–39. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2505.1.1 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:49VGM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.