Ilyophis blachei Saldanha & Merrett, 1982
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
Ilyophis blachei is an eel in the family Synaphobranchidae (cutthroat eels). It was described by Luiz Vieria Caldas Saldanha and Nigel Merrett in 1982. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the northeastern and southeastern Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean. It dwells at a depth range 580 to 2,070 metres (1,900 to 6,790 ft), and inhabits the continental shelf. Males can reach a maximum total length of 79.2 centimetres (31.2 in).
I. blachei spawns in June and July. Its diet consists primarily of galatheid crustaceans.
Wikipedia contributors, Ilyophis blachei; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:54:21.458468+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ilyophis blachei Saldanha & Merrett, 1982
- Name authority
- Saldanha & Merrett, 1982
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Synaphobranchidae
- Genus
- Ilyophis
- 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
- subfamilyIlyophinae Jordan & Davis, 1891
- genusIlyophis Gilbert, 1891
- speciesIlyophis blachei Saldanha & Merrett, 1982
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ilyophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ilyophis brunneus Gilbert, 1891 | SynaphobranchidaeChordata | 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.
- Saldanha, L., & Merrett, N. R. (1982). A new species of the deep-sea eel genus Ilyophis Gilbert (Synaphobranchidae) from the eastern North Atlantic, with comments on its ecology and intrafamilial relationships. Journal of Fish Biology, 21 (6): 623–636. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.1982.tb02866.x 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:6N72N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.