Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 25 - 36; Anal soft rays: 42 - 52; Vertebrae: 136 - 140. Eel-like, moderate to shallow body depth; maxilla adnate or nearly so; cardiform teeth present; branchiostegal membranes partly or completely united; swim bladder with thin terminal membrane or bulb; lacking enlarged dentary or premaxillary fangs, dentary diastema, pelvic fins, and swim bladder rocker bone (Ref. 34024). Swim bladder long, tubular, extending well beyond 12th vertebra (Ref. 34024).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Ophidiiformes

Family: Carapidae

Genus: Encheliophis

Species: Encheliophis gracilis (Bleeker, 1856)

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). Benthic (Ref. 58302, 75154). Lives in starfish (Culcita discoidea) and sea cucumbers (Holothuria scabra and H. argus). In the latter reported by Trott (1970) to form male - female pairs and to parasite host. Parasitic, feeding on gonads and respiratory tree of its host. Usually associated with Bohadschia argus (Ref 90102).

Habitat

associated

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Threat to Humans

Harmless