56 



H atvaiian Fishes 



THE SNIPE OR THREAD EEL FAMILY 



32 Family N emichthyidae 



The snipe eels have long and slender bodies which taper toward the 

 tail and end in a long filament at the end of the body. The body also 

 tapers forward to a small neck to which is attached the head. They are 

 nearly all translucent fishes with no scales upon their bodies. Their jaws 

 are long and slender and in some species are recurved so that they cannot 

 be closed. They are reported to be very snake-like in appearance and to 

 swim with swift undulations, often near the surface. Their home seems 

 to be in the ocean depths. 



Four species of this family are known from the Hawaiian Islands. 



Snipe Eel 



32-1 Nemichthys scolopaceus Richardson 

 This fish reaches five feet in length. It is a bathypelagic form and 

 lives in the ocean depths. It is known to occur in the south Atlantic Ocean 

 and in the Pacific Ocean northward of New Guinea. 



Spotted Snipe Eel 



32-2 Nematoprora poly gonif era Gilbert 



Drawn from Gilbert 



This rare eel measured about one foot in length. The upper half of 

 the body was whitish in color, while the lower half of the body was 

 covered with blackish spots each with a whitish center. Only one specimen 

 of this eel is known. It was taken near Bird Island (Nihoa) from 

 between 313 and 800 fathoms. 



Bean's Snipe Eel 



32-3 Serrivomer heanii Gill & Ryder 

 This rare eel was taken off Oahu, Bird Island ( Nihoa ) , and oflF Kauai 

 between 311 and 1,067 fathoms. It is also thought to occur along the 

 Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America. 



