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Abstract

The results present the first record of the stargazer snake eel, Brachysomophis cirrocheilos (Bleeker, 1857) from Vietnamese waters. One specimen was fished by the bottom trap at 20-25m depth next to a reef in Nha Trang Bay, outside the Nha Phu estuary. The stargazer snake eel B. cirrocheilos is distinguished from congeners by a combination of characters: having a tail length greater than pre-anal length (head and trunk); dorsal fin origin well behind the pectoral fin tip; coloration overlain dorsally and along the flanks with irregular smudges; both upper and lower lips fringed with a series of small barbels (cirri); canine-like teeth on jaws and vomer; infraorbital pores 4+3. This paper provides data, a description, and photographs of the species and extends its distributional range to the east coast of Vietnam.

Keywords

Taxonomy Ichthyology Broadly distribution Nha Trang Bay

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The authors transfer the copyrights of their papers to the Iranian Society of Ichthyology. However, the information could be used in accordance with the Creative Commons licence (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Author Biography

Nghi Quang BUI, Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), No. 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang City, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.

Museum of Oceanography, Institute of Oceanography

How to Cite
VO, Q. V., & BUI, N. Q. (2025). New record of stargazer snake eel <i>Brachysomophis cirrocheilos</i> (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) from Vietnam. Iranian Journal of Ichthyology, 12(2), 140–146. https://doi.org/10.22034/iji.v12i2.1066
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References

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