Ophichthus serpentinus Seale 1917

E, John, 2010, Deepwater Indo-Pacific species of the snake-eel genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of nine new species, Zootaxa 2505, pp. 1-39 : 32

Ophichthus serpentinus Seale 1917

Ophichthys serpentinus Seale 1917: 84 (type locality, Cape of Good Hope, holotype MCZ 9200). Ophichthus karreri Blache 1975: 733 (type locality, Namibia, holotype ZMB 22065).

Ophichthus bennettai McCosker 1986: 2 (type locality, South Africa, holotype RUSI 20033).

Diagnosis. A moderately elongate species of Ophichthus , subgenus Coecilophis , with: tail 62.5%, head 6.4– 6.8%, and depth behind gill opening 2.8–2.9% of TL; dorsal-fin origin 2–3 pectoral-fin lengths behind pectoral base; pectoral fin rounded; posterior margin of orbit in advance of rictus; head pores small, SO 1+4, IO 4+2, POM 2+6; teeth small, conical, biserial on maxillary, uniserial on mandible, biserial on vomer anteriorly, uniserial posteriorly; coloration yellow, darker dorsally, fins pale; mean vertebral formula 18/62/ 165, total vertebrae 162–167 (n= 3).

Size. To 680 mm, sex undetermined.

Distribution. From Namibia and South Africa, from 235– 372 m.

Remarks. Although this is primarily a southeastern Atlantic species, the holotype was reported to have been captured at the Cape of Good Hope and it is therefore included on the chance that it might be found in the Indian Ocean. Ophichthus karreri Blache (1975) was considered a junior synonym of O. serpentinus by McCosker (2006). The holotype of Ophichthus serpentinus has 166 vertebrae.

Material examined. MCZ 9200, 495 mm, the holotype of Ophichthys serpentinus , Cape of Good Hope; RUSI 20033, 680 mm, the holotype of Ophichthus bennettai , South Africa (32o14'S, 16o32'E), trawled in 372 m; and RUSI 25504, 581 mm, South Africa (33o41'S, 17o38'E), trawled in 235 m.