---
title: Black-striped Snake Eel (Callechelys catostoma)
scientific_name: Callechelys catostoma
common_name: Black-striped Snake Eel
taxon: Snake eels
conservation_status: LC - Least Concern
published: 2024-10-25T18:50:28.705Z
updated: 2026-08-07T21:03:44.133Z
tags: Black-striped Snake Eel, Callechelys catostoma, Snake eels, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/snake-eels/black-striped-snake-eel
---

# Black-striped Snake Eel (*Callechelys catostoma*)

## Quick facts

- **Group:** Snake eels (*Ophichthidae*)
- **Size:** 85 cm
- **Depth:** 1-32 m
- **Conservation status:** LC - Least Concern

Callechelys catostoma, commonly referred to as the black-striped snake eel or dark band snake eel, belongs to the family Ophichthidae, which includes worm and snake eels. This species was first described by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider and Johann Reinhold Forster in 1801. It is a tropical marine eel prevalent in the Indo-Pacific region, with its range extending to the Red Sea, East Africa, the Society Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and Lord Howe Island. The black-striped snake eel typically inhabits reef environments and can be found at depths ranging from 1 to 32 meters. It demonstrates a behavior of burrowing into loose gravel and sand. The males of this species can attain a maximum total length of 85 centimeters (33 inches).

## Also known as

- **English:** Dark Band Snake Eel, Black-striped Snake Eel, Blackstriped Snake Eel
- **Japanese:** ヒモウミヘビ, Himoumihebi

## Scientific synonyms

- *Callechelys catostomus* (Schneider, 1801)
- *Callechelys melanotaenia* Bleeker, 1864
- *Callechelys melanotaenius* Bleeker, 1864
- *Callechelys striata* Smith, 1958
- *Callechelys striatus* Smith, 1958
- *Leptenchelys pinnaceps* Schultz, 1953
- *Sphagebranchus catostomus* Schneider, 1801

## Range

Indian Ocean, Mozambique, Seychelles

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*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/snake-eels/black-striped-snake-eel)*
*Updated: August 7, 2026*