Apterichtus gracilis (Kaup 1856)

Hibino, Yusuke, 2015, A review of the finless snake eels of the genus Apterichtus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 3941 (1), pp. 49-78 : 61

Apterichtus gracilis (Kaup 1856)

Table 1

Ophisurapus gracilis Kaup 1856a Ophisurapus gracilis Kaup 1856a:52 (Type locality not given, holotype MNHN 2122). Ophisurapus [ Ophisuraphis ] gracilis: Kaup 1856b:29 .

Apterichtus gracilis: Blache & Bauchot 1972:714 .

Diagnosis. An elongate species with: tail 1.7, head 14, and body depth 67–100 in total length; 4 preopercular pores and 5 pores in supratemporal canal; teeth conical, uniserial on jaws and vomer; 2–3 vomerine teeth; body coloration in preservative ochre, slightly darker dorsally; and total vertebrae 129–132 (n= 2).

Size. The largest specimen reported is 32 cm.

Distribution. Known from 75 m depth, from Guinea, eastern central Atlantic.

Remarks. The illustration of the cephalic pores of the holotype in Blache and Bauchot (1972:fig. 8) is erroneous. Their illustration represents the anteriormost ventral preopercular pore to be the posteriormost mandibular pore, thereby indicating 7 mandibular pores and 3 preopercular pores. Our examination of the holotype discovered 6 mandibular pores and 4 preopercular pores, as has the second MNHN specimen. The holotype has 2 vomerine teeth.

Material examined. 2 specimens, 250–319 mm, including MNHN 0000- 2112, 250 mm, the holotype, locality not indicated. MNHN 1964-520, 319 mm, Guinea, 75 m.