Maldives Marine Life

Marine life of Maldivian waters

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Black-striped snake eel
No photo available
Illustration
Illustration: Homefront / Abacus AI, © Homefront AuctionsOriginal illustration based on published descriptions

Black-striped snake eel

Callechelys catostoma

Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).

English
Black-striped snake eel
Scientific
Callechelys catostoma
Dhivehi
No recorded Dhivehi name
Group
Eels
Family
Ophichthidae (snake eels and worm eels)
Maximum size
Up to about 85 cm (total length)
Depth and habitat
Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 32 m
IUCN status
LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2019

Description

A slender burrowing snake eel with a broad black band running along each side of a pale body, reaching about 85 cm. It lives buried in loose sand and gravel in shallow water.

Sources

Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.