Smalleye Snake Eel, Allips concolor McCosker 1972

Summary:

A very elongate yellowish-brown snake eel becoming creamy white below, with white fins and melanophores peppering the dorsal surface.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Allips concolor in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Mar 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1684

Smalleye Snake Eel, Allips concolor McCosker 1972

More Info

Distribution	Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, to the Whitsunday Passage, Queensland. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-west Pacific: from east coast of India, the Andaman Sea, Myanmar, Thailand, China and Taiwan. Usually inhabits shallow muddy areas near river mouths, mangroves, seagrass beds, and coral reefs at depths to 3 m; a specimen collected in Taiwan was taken from approximately 100 m.
Features	Vertebral formula 20-21 - 96-104 - 174-180. Body cylindrical. extremely elongate, depth 75-81 in TL; trunk very long, longer than tail, tail length 2.4-2.5 in TL; head short, with many grooves; snout short, blunt; eyes small, rudimentary. covered with transparent skin; head and neck covered in waxy mucosa. Dorsal-fin origin more than one head length behind level of gill opening, dorsal and anal fins very low, received into a deep groove; pectoral fins minute, oblong in shape, positioned along upper corner of gill opening.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin concolor (= uniformly coloured), in reference to the nearly uniform coloration of this species in preservative.
Species Citation	Allips concolor McCosker 1972, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 39(10): 117, figs 4-5. Type locality: Mouth of Pakehan River, north of Ban Parknam Ranong, 10°57'42"N, 98°35'18"E, Goh Phi, Ranong Province, Thailand, depth 0-3 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Smalleye Snake Eel, Allips concolor McCosker 1972

References

Ho, H.-C., Hibino, Y. & Huang, J.-F. 2018. Note on rare snake eels (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) and additional data on three Neenchelys recently described from Taiwan. Zootaxa 4451(1): 200-2014.

Kottelat, M. 2013. The fishes of the inland waters of southeast Asia: a catalogue and core bibliography of the fishes known to occur in freshwaters, mangroves and estuaries. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement No. 27: 1-663.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293

Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.

McCosker, J.E. 1972. Two new genera and two new species of western Pacific snake eels (Apodes : Ophichthidae). Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 39(10): 111-120 figs 1-5 See ref at BHL

McCosker, J.E. 1977. The osteology, classification, and relationships of the eel family Ophichthidae. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 41(1): 1-123 figs 1-45

McCosker, J., Smith, D.G. & Tighe, K. 2023. Allips concolor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2023: e.T199351A2586219. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2023-1.RLTS.T199351A2586219.en. Accessed on 01 November 2024.

Smith, D.G. & McCosker, J.E. 1999. Family Ophichthidae. pp. 1662-1699 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.