redsaddled snake eel
Quassiremus nothochir (Gilbert, 1890)
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.
A Smallfish snake eel on the shore near La Paz, Mexico
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Open encyclopedia reference
The smallfish snake eel (Quassiremus nothochir, also known as the redsaddled snake eel in Mexico) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Charles Henry Gilbert in 1890 as a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the Gulf of California and Costa Rica. It dwells in shallow waters at a maximum depth of 20 metres (66 ft), and inhabits sand and rock sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimetres (28 in).
Due to its wide distribution in its region, its lack of known threats and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the Smallfish snake-eel as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Smallfish snake eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:03:53.448541+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Quassiremus nothochir (Gilbert, 1890)
- Name authority
- (Gilbert, 1890)
- Common name
- redsaddled snake eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Quassiremus
- 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
- genusQuassiremus Jordan & Davis, 1891
- speciesQuassiremus nothochir (Gilbert, 1890)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Quassiremus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Quassiremus evionthas (Jordan & Bollman, 1890) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blackspotted snake eelQuassiremus ascensionis (Studer, 1889) | OphichthidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Ophichthys nothochir Gilbert, 1890 Gilbert, 1890 | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=282534 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.
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:4R2B9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.