Brachysomophis cirrocheilos

Brachysomophis cirrocheilos
B. cirrocheilos in Batangas Bay, Philippines
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Brachysomophis
Species:
B. cirrocheilos
Binomial name
Brachysomophis cirrocheilos
(Bleeker, 1857)[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Ophichthys cirrochilus Günther, 1870
  • Ophisurus cirrocheilos Bleeker, 1857

Brachysomophis cirrocheilos, also known as the stargazer snake eel,[2] is a benthic marine fish belonging to the family Ophichthidae. The stargazer snake eel is a large fish which grows up to 159 cm (63 in) long.

It is widely distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the western Pacific Ocean. It inhabits the sandy and muddy bottoms close to coastal reef at depths between about 1 and 10 m (3 and 33 ft). The stargazer snake eel is active at night, remaining immersed in the sediment by day, with just its head protruding.

  1. ^ a b Bailey, Nicolas (2020). "Brachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker, 1857)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference FishBase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).