ophis, Muraena Linnaeus [C.] 1758:244 [Systema Naturae, Ed. X v. 1; ref. 2787] Mediterranean Sea [original: "in Oceano Europæo"]. No types known. Originally based on 4 pre-Linnaean sources including Artedi 1738:24 [ref. 30578] and Artedi 1738:41 [ref. 30349] as Muraena teres gracilis maculosa, cauda tereti cuspidata apterygia; Willughby 1686:xix (appendix) [ref. 30164] and Ray 1713:37 [ref. 30231] as Serpens marinus, maculosus. •Valid as Ophichthus ophis (Linnaeus 1758) -- (Blache et al. 1973:247 [ref. 7185], McCosker 1977:81 [ref. 6836], Bauchot in Whitehead et al. 1986:582 [ref. 13676], Robins & Ray 1986:65 [ref. 23100], McCosker et al. 1989:399 [ref. 13288], Leiby in Smith 1989:820 [ref. 13285], Leiby 1990:189 [ref. 13652], Cervigón 1991:60 [ref. 24472], Cervigón 1992:373 [ref. 23827], McEachran & Fechhelm 1998:279 [ref. 23897], Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999:140 [ref. 25013], Afonso et al. 1999:82 [ref. 25466], Schmitter-Soto et al. 2000:149 [ref. 27754], Gasparini & Floeter 2001:1643 [ref. 25634], McCosker 2003:733 [ref. 26993], Menezes in Menezes et al. 2003:35 [ref. 27192], Nelson et al. 2004:63 [ref. 27807], Wirtz et al. 2007:25 [ref. 30263], Fricke 2008:15 [ref. 30182], McCosker et al. 2012:11 [ref. 31982], Page et al. 2013:63 [ref. 32708], Smith-Vaniz & Collette 2013:168 [ref. 32953], Smith-Vaniz & Jelks 2014:25 [ref. 33341], Pinheiro et al. 2015:7 [ref. 34324], McCosker 2016:1665 [ref. 34558], Reiner 2019:70 [ref. 38139], Robertson et al. 2020:159 [ref. 38098], Kovačić et al. 2021:89 [ref. 39014], Rotundo et al. in Marceniuk et al. 2021:114 [ref. 38945], Fermon et al. 2022:118 [ref. 39448], Carvalho-Filho 2023:57 [ref. 40480], Page et al. 2023:55 [ref. 40505]). Current status: Valid as Ophichthus ophis (Linnaeus 1758). Ophichthidae: Ophichthinae. Distribution: Western Atlantic: Bermuda and Florida (U.S.A.) south to São Paulo (Brazil); eastern Atlantic: Senegal south to Angola, including São Tomé and Principe. Habitat: marine.