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Luthulenchelys heemstraorum  , a new genus and species of snake eel (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from KwaZulu-Natal, with comments on Ophichthus rutidoderma (Bleeker, 1853) and its synonyms
McCosker, John E.
Abstract
Luthulenchelys heemstraorum genus and species novum, subfamily Ophichthinae, tribe Ophichthini, is described from a 472 mm eel trawled off Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in 450–460 m. Luthulenchelys differs from all known ophichthids in having the following suite of characters: an extremely elongate body, long tail, dorsal-fin origin in anterior trunk region, an elongate pectoral fin, posterior eye/jaw location, blunt snout, posterior nostril within upper lip, slender dentition, a single vomerine tooth, uniquely developed lateral-line ossicles, and five gill arches, with a very reduced fifth ceratobranchial. Several changes in taxonomy are proposed:
Ophisurus lumbricoides
Bleeker 1853,
Ophisurus rutidodermatoides
Bleeker 1853, and
Ophichthus derbyensis
Whitley 1941 are junior synonyms of Ophichthus rutidoderma (Bleeker 1853);
Sphagebranchus lumbricoides
Bleeker 1864 is a species of Yirrkala.
Keywords
Ophichthidae, Luthulenchelys heemstraorum gen. & sp. nov., KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Ophichthus rutidoderma, Ophichthus rutidodermatoides, Ophichthus derbyensis, Yirrkala lumbricoides
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