Brachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker, 1857)
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
Brachysomophis cirrocheilos, also known as the stargazer snake eel, is a benthic marine fish belonging to the family Ophichthidae. The stargazer snake eel is a large fish which grows up to 159 cm (63 in) long.
It is widely distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the western Pacific Ocean. It inhabits the sandy and muddy bottoms close to coastal reef at depths between about 1 and 10 m (3 and 33 ft). The stargazer snake eel is active at night, remaining immersed in the sediment by day, with just its head protruding.
Wikipedia contributors, Brachysomophis cirrocheilos; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:12:01.592850+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Brachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker, 1857)
- Name authority
- (Bleeker, 1857)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Ophichthidae
- Genus
- Brachysomophis
- 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
- genusBrachysomophis Kaup, 1856
- speciesBrachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker, 1857)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Brachysomophis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brachysomophis atlanticus Blache & Saldanha, 1972 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brachysomophis longipinnis McCosker & Randall, 2001 | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brachysomophis porphyreus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) | OphichthidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brachysomophis umbonis McCosker & Randall, 2001 | 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 cirrochilus Günther, 1870 Günther, 1870 | synonym |
| Ophisurus cirrocheilos Bleeker, 1857 Bleeker, 1857 | synonym |
| Brachysomorphis cirrhocheilos (Bleeker, 1857) (Bleeker, 1857) | 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=279125 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:MZWL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.