''Ophichthys'' is a genus of

swamp eel The swamp eels (also written "swamp-eels") are a family (Synbranchidae) of freshwater eel-like fishes of the tropics and subtropics. Most species are able to breathe air and typically live in marshes, ponds and damp places, sometimes burying t ...

s native to

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

. They live in

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...

subterranean Subterranean(s) or The Subterranean(s) may refer to: * Subterranea (geography), underground structures, both natural and man-made Literature * ''Subterranean'' (novel), a 1998 novel by James Rollins * '' Subterranean Magazine'', an American f ...

habitats, and some have a

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric e ...

lifestyle.

Taxonomy

All species in this genus were formerly classified in ''

Monopterus ''Monopterus'' is a genus of swamp eels native to Asia. They live in various freshwater habitats and some have a fossorial lifestyle.Britz, R., Doherty-Bone, T.M., Kouete, M.T., Sykes, D. & Gower, D.J. (2016)''Monopterus luticolus'', a new speci ...

'', but a 2020 study found them to represent a distinct

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

clade from ''Monopterus''. Due to this, the genus name ''Ophichthys'', previously coined by

William John Swainson William John Swainson FLS, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Life Swainson was born in Dover Place, St Mary Newington, London, the eldest son of ...

, was revived to be used for them. ''Ophichthys'' was formerly a

wastebasket taxon Wastebasket taxon (also called a wastebin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically define ...

used to lump in many unrelated species of

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

-like fish (all of which are classified in separate genera today) and later synonymized with ''Monopterus'' until its resurrection.

Species

* '' Ophichthys cuchia'' ( F. Hamilton, 1822) (Gangetic swamp eel or Gangetic mud-eel) * ''

Ophichthys desilvai ''Ophichthys desilvai'' (lesser swamp eel or Desilvai's blind eel) is a commercially important, air-breathing species of fish in the family Synbranchidae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and is the only endemic synbranchid from there. Etymology The ...

'' ( R. M. Bailey & Gans, 1998) (lesser swamp eel or Desilvai's blind eel) * '' Ophichthys fossorius'' ( K. K. Nayar, 1951) (Malabar swampeel) *'' Ophichthys hodgarti'' ( B. L. Chaudhuri, 1913) (Indian spaghetti-eel) * '' Ophichthys ichthyophoides'' (

Britz Britz () is a German locality (''Ortsteil'') within the Berlin borough (''Bezirk'') of Neukölln. History The village of ''Britzig'' was first mentioned in 1273. It was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the si ...

, Lalremsanga, Lalrotluanga & Lalramliana, 2011) (scaled swamp eel)Britz, R., Lalremsanga, H.T., Lalrotluanga & Lalramliana (2011)
''Monopterus ichthyophoides'', a new species of scaled swamp eel (Teleostei: Synbranchiformes: Synbranchidae) from Mizoram, India.
''Zootaxa, 2936: 51–58.'' * ''

Ophichthys indicus The Bombay swamp eel (''Ophichthys indicus''), also known as the paytop in Marathi, is a species of fish in the family Synbranchidae. It is endemic to the state of Maharashtra in India. Taxonomy It was at first classified in the genus ''Amphi ...

'' (

Silas Silas or Silvanus (; Greek: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the Early Christian community, who according to the New Testament accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey. Name and ...

& E. Dawson, 1961) (Bombay swamp eel)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q28753738 Ophichthys Freshwater fish genera Synbranchidae Taxa named by William John Swainson