Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 25, 2026

Narrownecked oceanic eel

The narrownecked oceanic eel, Derichthys serpentinus, is a longneck eel, the only species in the genus Derichthys, found in all oceans in depths between 500 and 2,000 m. Their length is up to 40 centimetres.

Last revised
Jun 25, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
169 w
Citations
Source
Narrownecked oceanic eel
From plate 49 of Oceanic Ichthyology by G. Brown Goode and Tarleton H. Bean, published 1896.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Derichthyidae
Genus: Derichthys
T. N. Gill, 1884
Species:
D. serpentinus
Binomial name
Derichthys serpentinus
Synonyms
  • Leptocephalus anguilloides

The narrownecked oceanic eel, Derichthys serpentinus, is a longneck eel, the only species in the genus Derichthys, found in all oceans in depths between 500 and 2,000 m. Their length is up to 40 centimetres (1 ft 4 in).

The skin is scaleless and red-brown. It lives on the bottom at great depths.

Freshly caught specimen of D. serpentinus before and after a large decapod prey item was removed from the stomach. source ↗
References

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