Whip eel

The whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris, also known as the sooty eel^[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).^[3] It was described by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1880.^[4] It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits reefs and coastal waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 76 centimetres (30 in).^[3]

Whip eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Genus:	Bascanichthys
Species:	B. scuticaris
Binomial name
Bascanichthys scuticaris (Goode & Bean, 1880)
Synonyms[1]
Sphagebranchus scuticaris Goode & Bean, 1880 Sphagebranchus teres Goode & Bean, 1882