Dalophis imberbis (Delaroche, 1809)
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 armless snake eel (Dalophis imberbis) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by François Étienne Delaroche in 1809. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Spain, Mauritania, and the Mediterranean. It dwells at a depth range of 20–80 metres, and forms burrows in mud or sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 150 centimetres.
The Armless snake eel's diet consists primarily of finfish and benthic invertebrates.
Wikipedia contributors, Armless snake eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:29:15.371254+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dalophis imberbis (Delaroche, 1809)
- Name authority
- (Delaroche, 1809)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Dalophis
- 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
- genusDalophis Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesDalophis imberbis (Delaroche, 1809)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dalophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Dalophis cephalopeltis (Bleeker, 1863) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dalophis boulengeri (Blache, Cadenat & Stauch, 1970) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dalophis multidentatus Blache & Bauchot, 1972 | 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 imberbis (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | synonym |
| Pterurus flexuosus Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Sphagebranchus imberbis Delaroche, 1809 Delaroche, 1809 | synonym |
| Sphagebranchus oculatus Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | synonym |
| Dalophis bimaculata Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Dalophis serpa Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Caecula imberbis (Delaroche, 1809) (Delaroche, 1809) | 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=126313 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:6CBH8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.