Ophichthys
Genus of fishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ophichthys is a genus of swamp eels native to South Asia. They live in freshwater or subterranean habitats, and some have a fossorial lifestyle.[1]
| Ophichthys | |
|---|---|
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| Ophichthys cuchia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Synbranchiformes |
| Family: | Synbranchidae |
| Subfamily: | Synbranchinae |
| Genus: | Ophichthys Swainson, 1839 |
| Species | |
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See text | |
Taxonomy
All species in this genus were formerly classified in Monopterus, but a 2020 study found them to represent a distinct monophyletic clade from Monopterus. Due to this, the genus name Ophichthys, previously coined by William Swainson, was revived to be used for them.[1][2] Ophichthys was formerly a wastebasket taxon used to lump in many unrelated species of eel-like fish (all of which are classified in separate genera today) and later synonymized with Monopterus until its resurrection.[3]
Species
- Ophichthys cuchia (F. Hamilton, 1822) (Gangetic swamp eel or Gangetic mud-eel)[4]
- Ophichthys desilvai (R. M. Bailey & Gans, 1998) (lesser swamp eel or Desilvai's blind eel)[1]
- Ophichthys fossorius (K. K. Nayar, 1951) (Malabar swamp eel)
- Ophichthys hodgarti (B. L. Chaudhuri, 1913) (Indian spaghetti-eel)[5]
- Ophichthys ichthyophoides (Britz, Lalremsanga, Lalrotluanga & Lalramliana, 2011) (scaled swamp eel)[6]
- Ophichthys indicus (Silas & E. Dawson, 1961) (Bombay swamp eel)
- Ophichthys terricolus