Whip eel
| Whip eel | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Bascanichthys |
| Species: | B. scuticaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Bascanichthys scuticaris (Goode & Bean, 1880) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris, also known as the sooty eel) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1880. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits reefs and coastal waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 76 centimetres (30 in).