NOAA Photo Library
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Synaphobranchus kaupii is a dark violet-gray eel belonging to the genus of “neck-cutter eels,” which inhabits greater depths and is therefore rarely seen in the wild.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to NOAA for one of the few in-situ photos of Kaup’s arrowtooth eel, which is also colloquially known as “Kaup’s cutthroat eel.”
The English name “cutthroat” literally means “someone who cuts the throat”; the term “cutthroat eel” was apparently coined as a joke, but there is no actual connection to this name.
As with many deep-water species, very little is known about Synaphobranchus kaupii; the eel is sensitive to changes in water temperature and reproduces during the summer months.
Etymology:
The species name “kaupii” was given in honor of the German naturalist Johann Jacob Kaup (1803–1873), who thoroughly researched this order of fish” (Kaup wrote the first comprehensive treatise on eels in 1856).
Synonyms:
Nettophichthys retropinnatus Holt, 1891 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Synaphobranchus kaupi Johnson, 1862 · unaccepted (misspelling)
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to NOAA for one of the few in-situ photos of Kaup’s arrowtooth eel, which is also colloquially known as “Kaup’s cutthroat eel.”
The English name “cutthroat” literally means “someone who cuts the throat”; the term “cutthroat eel” was apparently coined as a joke, but there is no actual connection to this name.
As with many deep-water species, very little is known about Synaphobranchus kaupii; the eel is sensitive to changes in water temperature and reproduces during the summer months.
Etymology:
The species name “kaupii” was given in honor of the German naturalist Johann Jacob Kaup (1803–1873), who thoroughly researched this order of fish” (Kaup wrote the first comprehensive treatise on eels in 1856).
Synonyms:
Nettophichthys retropinnatus Holt, 1891 · unaccepted > junior subjective synonym
Synaphobranchus kaupi Johnson, 1862 · unaccepted (misspelling)
