fringelip snake-eel
Cirrhimuraena playfairii (Günther, 1870)
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 fringelip snake-eel (Cirrhimuraena playfairii) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Albert Günther in 1870. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kosi Bay, South Africa, and the Hawaiian Islands. Its lifestyle is mostly benthic but it sometimes swims at the surface. It is olive brown in colour, with lighter colouring in the ventral region. Males can reach a maximum total length of 39 centimetres (15 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Fringelip snake-eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:40:57.671951+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cirrhimuraena playfairii (Günther, 1870)
- Name authority
- (Günther, 1870)
- Common name
- fringelip snake-eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Cirrhimuraena
- 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
- genusCirrhimuraena Kaup, 1856
- speciesCirrhimuraena playfairii (Günther, 1870)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cirrhimuraena. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cirrhimuraena calamus (Günther, 1870) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cirrhimuraena cheilopogon (Bleeker, 1860) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cirrhimuraena chinensis Kaup, 1856 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cirrhimuraena oliveri (Seale, 1910) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cirrhimuraena orientalis Nguyen, 1993 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Jenkinsiella playfairi (Günther, 1870) (Günther, 1870) | synonym |
| Jenkinsiella playfairii (Günther, 1870) (Günther, 1870) | synonym |
| Microdonophis macgregori Jenkins, 1903 Jenkins, 1903 | synonym |
| Ophichthys playfairii Günther, 1870 Günther, 1870 | synonym |
| Ophichthys arenicola Klunzinger, 1871 Klunzinger, 1871 | 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=217566 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:5YWNN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.