Ophichthidae

Gigantic Worm Eel

Pylorobranchus hearstorum

One Hundred Twenty One Point Eight Centimeters Eel

• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Pacific Ocean
• Southeast Asia
• Anguilliform
• Compressed cross-section
• Large

Pylorobranchus hearstorum, the gigantic worm eel, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Myrophinae, the worm eels, in the family Ophichthidae, which also includes the snake eels. This species is known from a single specimen, the holotype collected from the Verde Island Passage in the Philippines at 13.583-13.575°N, 120.382-120.411°E from a depth between 892 and 966 m (2,927 and 3,169 ft). The species was described in 2014 by the American marine biologist John E. McCosker.