Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864

Psomadakis, Peter N., 2018, Snake eels of the genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Myanmar (Indian Ocean) with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4526 (1), pp. 71-83 : 78-79

Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864

Fig. 7

Ophichthys cephalozona Bleeker, 1864: 49 , pl. 156 (from “ Singapore; Ambon Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia.”

Zonophichthus marginatus Whitley, 1930: 250 . Replacement name for Muraenopsis marginatus Bleeker, 1863 , proposed as a senior synonym of Ophichthys cephalozona Bleeker, 1864 .

Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker, 1864 : McCosker 1977:81; Allen & Swainston 1988:34; Paxton et al. 1989:119; Mohsin & Ambak 1996:171; Allen 1997:56; Randall et al. 1997:494; Myers 1999:57; Smith & McCosker 1999:1669; McCosker in Randall & Lim 2000:586; Hutchins 2001:17; Allen & Adrim 2003:24; Myers & Donaldson 2003:612; Mishra & Krishnan 2003:19; Randall et al. 2004:6; Tang & Zhang 2004:20; Randall 2005:33; McCosker et al. 2006:271; Zhang et al. 2010:334; Fricke et al. 2011:352; Allen & Erdmann 2012:109; McCosker 2014:339; McCosker & Ho 2015:72; Ho et al. 2015:172.

English name: Dark-shouldered snake eel (En)

Material examined. Myanmar: USNM 438267 , 780 mm TL, mature male, off Ayeyarwady Delta (15 o 38.31 N,

94 o 13.12 E), R/ V Dr. Fridtjof, Sta. 63, bottom trawl, 40 m depth, 9 May 2015, collected by P. N. Psomadakis. Yap: CAS 200272 , 460 . Palau: CAS 20073, 181 mm; CAS 200244 , 2 (358-493 mm); CAS 200 258, 319 mm; CAS 200259 2(231-484 mm). Fiji: BPBM 28750 , 1120 mm, Viti Levu. Australia: IA. 216, 460 mm, Dunk Island ; IA 217, 431 mm, Dunk Island; IA. 6161, 510 mm, Linden Island .

Diagnosis. Body moderately elongate, cylindrical, tapering and laterally compressed posteriorly; snout and tail tip pointed; body depth behind gill openings 33 – 37 in TL; anus at midbody; HL 10.1 – 10.8 in TL; lower jaw reaches tip of anterior nostril bases; dorsal fin arises above mid-pectoral fin; pectoral fin rounded, 3.2 – 4.0 in HL; a notable barbel beneath mid-snout; posterior nostril along edge of lip, covered by a minute flap, opening into mouth; eye ends above corner of jaw; teeth pointed, uniserial, medium-sized and retrorse; 3 rd preopercular pore present. Vertebral formula 12/66/156, total vertebrae 154 – 157. Color ( Fig. 7 ) of head and body uniform brown, throat and belly paler; anus in a pale spot; fins pale, median fins dark, becoming black ca. 1 HL before tail tip; pectoral fins pale with white margins; snout and chin nearly black, a pale band behind eye, followed by a black saddle followed by a pale band.

Sze: To 115 cm TL.

Distribution. Known from Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Queensland, Palau, Marshalls and Marianas Islands, Society Islands, Fiji, and Myanmar. Nocturnally active. Occupies shallow sand and mud bottoms.

Remarks. This specimen is a male with mature testes.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Ophichthus cephalozona Bleeker 1864, USNM 438267, 780 mm TL, male. Photographed soon after capture and before preservation by O. Alvheim. Arrows indicate the origins of the dorsal fin (left) and the anal fin (right).