grey cutthroat eel
Synaphobranchus affinis Günther, 1877
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 grey cutthroat eel (Synaphobranchus affinis), is a cutthroat eel. It was originally described by Albert Günther in 1877. It lives a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting the continental slope and global deep waters including near Portugal, Canary Islands, Morocco, Japan, Australia, and others. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which has been found at depths ranging from 300 to 2,300 meters (980 to 7,550 ft) and at temperatures ranging from 3.3 - 11.3 °C . Males can grow to a length of up to 110 centimetres (43 inches). It is primarily a scavenger, however it also actively hunts small fish and crustaceans.
The grey cutthroat eel (Synaphobranchus affinis) is commonly mistaken with Kaup's arrowtooth eel (Synaphobranchus kaupii) due to their morphological similarities. The primary method of differentiation between the two is by analyzing vertebral count, dorsal fin rays, and anal fin rays.
Wikipedia contributors, Grey cutthroat eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:15:51.040653+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Synaphobranchus affinis Günther, 1877
- Name authority
- Günther, 1877
- Common name
- grey cutthroat eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Synaphobranchidae
- Genus
- Synaphobranchus
- 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
- familySynaphobranchidae Johnson, 1862
- subfamilySynaphobranchinae Johnson, 1862
- genusSynaphobranchus Johnson, 1862
- speciesSynaphobranchus affinis Günther, 1877
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Synaphobranchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Synaphobranchus brevidorsalis Günther, 1887 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Synaphobranchus calvus Melo, 2007 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Synaphobranchus dolichorhynchus (Lea, 1913) | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaup's arrowtooth eelSynaphobranchus kaupii Johnson, 1862 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Synaphobranchus oregoni Castle, 1960 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Synaphobranchus oligolepis Ho, Hong & Chen, 2018 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Synaphobranchus pinnatus | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Synaphobranchus brachysomus Gilbert, 1905 Gilbert, 1905 | synonym |
| Synaphobranchus taketae Tanaka, 1916 Tanaka, 1916 | synonym |
| Synapobranchus affinis Günther, 1877 Günther, 1877 | 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.
- Günther, A. (1877). Preliminary notes on new fishes collected in Japan during the expedition of H. M. S. `Challenger.′. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 4), v. 20 (no. 119) (art. 56): 433–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222937708682260 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:53TQC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.