deathbanded snake eel

Open encyclopedia reference

The death-banded snake eel (Ophichthus frontalis) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Samuel Garman in 1899. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the central Gulf of California, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 35–760 metres, and forms burrows in sandy and muddy bottoms. Males can reach a maximum total length of 86 centimetres.

The species epithet "frontalis" is presumed to be derived from the Latin term for "forehead". Due to its relatively wide distribution in the eastern Pacific region, lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the Death-banded snake-eel as Least Concern.

Wikipedia contributors, Death-banded snake eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:37:16.048310+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Ophichthus frontalis Garman, 1899

Name authority

Garman, 1899

Common name

deathbanded snake eel

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderAnguilliformes
11. familyOphichthidae Günther, 1870
12. subfamilyOphichthinae Günther, 1870
13. genusOphichthus Ahl, 1789
14. speciesOphichthus frontalis Garman, 1899

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Ophichthus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 283 records assigned to Ophichthidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. Garman, S. (1899). The Fishes. In: Reports on an Exploration off the West Coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and off the Galapagos Islands ... By the U. S. Fish Commission Steamer “Albatross,” during 1891 ... No. XXVI. Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology v. 24: Text: https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.27494 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:49VH4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.