collared eel
Kaupichthys nuchalis Böhlke, 1967
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 collared eel (Kaupichthys nuchalis) is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke in 1967. It is a tropical, marine eel known from coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean, including Texas, USA; the Bahamas, the Antilles, northern South America, the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is a benthic, solitary eel that primarily resides in tubular sponges. Males can reach a maximum total length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in).
The collared eel exhibits biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated by blue or ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as orange, and appears differently than under white light illumination. Biofluorescence may assist in intraspecific communication and camouflage.
Wikipedia contributors, Collared eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:57:01.869743+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Kaupichthys nuchalis Böhlke, 1967
- Name authority
- Böhlke, 1967
- Common name
- collared eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Chlopsidae
- Genus
- Kaupichthys
- 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
- familyChlopsidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusKaupichthys Schultz, 1943
- speciesKaupichthys nuchalis Böhlke, 1967
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Kaupichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Kaupichthys diodontus Schultz, 1943 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| false morayKaupichthys hyoproroides (Strömman, 1896) | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaupichthys atronasus Schultz, 1953 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaupichthys brachychirus Schultz, 1953 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaupichthys japonicus Matsubara & Asano, 1960 | ChlopsidaeChordata | 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.
- Böhlke, J. E. (1967). The descriptions of three new eels from the tropical west Atlantic. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 118 (4): 91–108. 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:6NJPZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.