black sailfin eel
Letharchus rosenblatti McCosker, 1974
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 Sailfin snake-eel (Letharchus rosenblatti) also known as the Black sailfin eel in Mexico,) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by John E. McCosker in 1974. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 17 metres (0 to 56 ft), and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 31 centimetres (12 in).
Due to a lack of known major threats and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the Sailfin snake-eel as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Sailfin snake-eel; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:11:24.036977+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Letharchus rosenblatti McCosker, 1974
- Name authority
- McCosker, 1974
- Common name
- black sailfin eel
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Letharchus
- 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
- genusLetharchus Goode & Bean, 1882
- speciesLetharchus rosenblatti McCosker, 1974
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Letharchus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| sailfin eelLetharchus velifer Goode & Bean, 1882 | 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.
- McCosker, J. E. (1974). A revision of the ophichthid eel genus Letharcus. Copeia 1974(3):619-628. https://doi.org/10.2307/1442674 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:6PQJQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.