Vulture sand eel explained

The Vulture sand eel (Ichthyapus vulturis, also known as the Vulture eel^[1]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).^[2] It was described by Max Carl Wilhelm Weber and Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort in 1916, originally under the genus Sphagebranchus.^[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Mascarenes, Pitcairn, Japan, Australia, Micronesia, and Easter Island. It dwells in inshore waters at a depth range of 2mto18mm (07feetto59feetm), and forms burrows in soft, sandy sediments.^[2]

The Vulture sand eel's diet consists of bony fish.^[4]

Notes and References

1. http://www.fishbase.us/comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=17399&GenusName=Ichthyapus&SpeciesName=vulturis&StockCode=15585 Common names of Ichthyapus vulturis
2. http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Ichthyapus-vulturis.html Ichthyapus vulturis
3. Weber, M. and L. F. de Beaufort, 1916 [ref. 4604] The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. III. Ostariophysi: II Cyprinoidea, Apodes, Synbranchi. E. J. Brill, Leiden. v. 3: i-xv + 1-455.
4. http://www.fishbase.us/TrophicEco/FoodItemsList.php?vstockcode=15585&genus=Ichthyapus&species=vulturis Food items reported for Ichthyapus vulturis