Fish of the Ophichthus genus of the Ophichthinae subfamily of the Ophichthidae (snake eels) family of the Congroidei suborder of the Anguilliformes (eels) order of the Elopomorpha superorder.
(Rufus snake-eel. Photo by © greekwildlife.gr)
Rufus snake-eel (Ophichthus rufus) was first described in 1810 by the American naturalist, zoologist and botanist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840).
It occurs at the depth of 30-660 meters. It digs small burrows in the muddy bottom and hides there during the day. The maximum recorded length is 60 cm. It feeds on bottom invertebrates and small-sized fish.
(Rufus snake-eel. Photo by © Mariano García Rodríguez)
It is a permanent infrequent inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of rufus snake-eel (Ophichthus rufus) in other languages are as follows:
Κόκκινο Φιδόχελο (Kokkino Fidoheljo) (Greek), Culebrilla roja (Spanish), Biscia di mare rosa (Italian), Rufus-Schlangenaal (German), Zmija riđoglava (Croatian, Serbian), Serpenton jaune (French), Hadař rudý (Czech).