The fintail serpent eel (Neenchelys buitendijki, also known commonly as the spotted worm-eel in India[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort in 1916.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indian Ocean, including Pakistan, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It inhabits burrows in soft sediments, and leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 centimetres.[2]

Fintail serpent eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Neenchelys
Species:
N. buitendijki
Binomial name
Neenchelys buitendijki
Weber & de Beaufort, 1916

The fintail serpent eel is of minor commercial interest to fisheries, and is primarily used for fishing bait.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Common names for Neenchelysbuitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
  2. ^ a b c Neenchelys buitendijki at www.fishbase.org.
  3. ^ Weber, M. and L. F. de Beaufort, 1916 [ref. 4604] The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. III. Ostariophysi: II Cyprinoidea, Apodes, Synbranchi. E. J. Brill, Leiden. v. 3: i-xv + 1-455.