The Panama sand-eel (Bascanichthys panamensis, also known as the Panamic sand-eel in Mexico[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Seth Eugene Meek and Samuel Frederick Hildebrand in 1923.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua. It dwells at a maximum depth of 30m (100feet), and inhabits sandy sediments, sometimes in estuaries and mangroves.[4] Males can reach a maximum total length of 76cm (30inches).[2]
The IUCN redlist currently lists the Panama sand-eel as Least Concern, due to a lack of major threats and observed population decline. It notes, however, that coastal development in its range could prove problematic for the species.[4]