ordinary eel
Ethadophis byrnei Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970
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 Ordinary eel (Ethadophis byrnei, also known as the Ordinary snake-eel) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt and John E. McCosker. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from a single specimen collected from a sandbank in the Gulf of California, in the eastern central Pacific Ocean, during low tide. From the holotype, it is known to reach a total length of 51 centimetres (20 in).
The IUCN redlist currently lists the Ordinary eel as Data Deficient due to the extremely limited number of described specimens, but notes that its habitat falls into a region of threat from coastal development.
Wikipedia contributors, Ordinary eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:57:41.892141+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ethadophis byrnei Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970
- Name authority
- Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970
- Common name
- ordinary eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Ethadophis
- 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
- genusEthadophis Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970
- speciesEthadophis byrnei Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ethadophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| snack eelEthadophis merenda Rosenblatt & McCosker, 1970 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- Rosenblatt, R. H., & McCosker, J. E. (1970). A key to the genera of the ophichthid eels, with descriptions of two new genera and three new species from the eastern Pacific. Pacific Science, 24 (4): 494–505. 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:6GT5B. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.