Revision of the worm eel genus neenchelys (Ophichthidae: Myrophinae), with descriptions of three new species from the western pacific ocean

Abstract

Background: The Indo-Pacific snake eel genus Neenchelys is a small group of moderately to extremely elongated fishes (family Ophichthidae), which comprises seven nominal species previously. Intensive collections on this group have led to the findings of taxonomic problems, as well as new taxa. This study is aimed to review the group on the basis of all known specimens, to verify the species, and to describe the new species. Results: Six valid species are recognized: Neenchelys microtretus Bamber from the Suez, Red Sea; N. buitendijki Weber and de Beaufort from Indonesia, Bombay, India, and Malaysia; N. cheni (Chen and Weng), a senior synonym of N. retropinna Smith and Böhlke, from Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and the Gulf of Oman; N. daedalus McCosker from Papua New Guinea; N. parvipectoralis Chu, Wu and Jin from the South China Sea off Taiwan and Vietnam; and N. mccoskeri Hibino, Ho and Kimura from Japan and Taiwan. Three new species - N. diaphora sp. nov., N. pelagica sp. nov., and N. similis sp. nov. - are described from Taiwan and Japan. These new species differ from the congeners in body proportions, meristics, and morphology. A lectotype for N. buitendijki is designated. Conclusions: Totally, nine species are recognized in Neenchelys, including three new species, with most species showing range extension in the Indo-west Pacific region. Diagnosis, detailed morphometric and meristic data, and ecological note for each species are provided. New diagnostic characters are used for recognizing the species, with a key to the species of Neenchelys provided. The recent discovery of new Asian species suggests that more remain to be discovered. © 2013 Ho et al.; licensee Springer.