Bobtail snipe eel

Bobtail snipe eels
	Cyema atrum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Suborder:	Anguilloidei
Family:	Cyematidae
Genera
	Cyema; Neocyema

The bobtail snipe eels are two species of deep-sea eels in the family Cyematidae, one only in each of two genera. They are small elongate fishes, growing up to 16cm (6 in) in length.

The family Cyematidae is characterized by thin, short bodies with long jaws and small teeth and eyes. In addition, they possess the confluent dorsal, caudal, and anal fins in the posterior position.^[1] Species were thought to inhabit only the Southern Atlantic, until two new specimens were captured in the Northern Atlantic in 2006 and 2008.^[2]

They are bathypelagic (deep-water ocean-dwellers) and have been found down to 5,000 m (16,400 ft). They are found in all oceans and do not undergo vertical diurnal migration.^[3]

References

^ Poulsen, Jan (2015). "Fifth confirmed record and North Atlantic range expansion of the rare pelagic bobtail snipe eel genus Neocyema (Cyematidae, Elopomorpha)". Marine Biodiversity Records. 8 (53): 1–5. doi:10.1017/S175526721500024X.
^ DeVaney, Shannon C.; Hartel, Karsten E.; Themelis, Daphne E. (September 2009). "The First Records of Neocyema (Teleostei: Saccopharyngiformes) in the Western North Atlantic with Comments on Its Relationship to Leptocephalus holti Schmidt 1909". Northeastern Naturalist. 16 (3): 409–414. doi:10.1656/045.016.n308. ISSN 1092-6194. S2CID 84115524.
^ DeVaney, Shannon C. (2016-10-01). "Species Distribution Modeling of Deep Pelagic Eels". Integrative and Comparative Biology. 56 (4): 524–530. doi:10.1093/icb/icw032. ISSN 1540-7063. PMID 27252208.