Worm-eel Muraenichthys sp.
Family Ophichthidae updated
Sep 2020
if you
learn only 3 things about it ...
Often mistaken for a worms, it is a fish! It has a sharp bony tail to dig backwards with. This
small burrowing fish is easily trampled. Watch your step!
Where
seen? This small worm-like fish is often seen near coral rubble where there
are lots of hiding places, especially on our Southern shores. A secretive
fish, it is usually active only at night. Sightings are usually brief
as it wriggles rapidly past and disappears into some crevice or hole.
Features: To about 20cm long,
those seen were about 10-12cm. Body long narrow tubular. It is
superbly adapted for burrowing in sand and hunting in small holes and crevices. It has no scales, no pectoral fins. Eyes and mouth are small, the snout
is pointed and nostrils downward pointing. The tail tip is bony and
sharp so it can burrow quickly, both forwards and backwards! It swims
by moving the body in S-shapes, rather like a sea snake.
What do they eat? Most species
are burrowing, spending most of their time in the sand and among crevices
in coral rubble. They hunt small fishes and crustaceans by smell.
Wee Y.C.
and Peter K. L. Ng. 1994. A First Look at Biodiversity in Singapore.
National Council on the Environment. 163pp.
Ng, P. K.
L. & Y. C. Wee, 1994. The
Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened Plants and Animals of Singapore.
The Nature Society (Singapore), Singapore. 343 pp.
Allen, Gerry,
2000. Marine
Fishes of South-East Asia: A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers.
Periplus Editions. 292 pp.
Kuiter, Rudie
H. 2002. Guide
to Sea Fishes of Australia: A Comprehensive Reference for Divers
& Fishermen
New Holland Publishers. 434pp.
Lieske,
Ewald and Robert Myers. 2001. Coral
Reef Fishes of the World
Periplus Editions. 400pp.
Often mistaken for a worms, it is a fish!
