First records of a rare snake eel, Leiuranus versicolor (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) from Japan

Abstract

Leiuranus versicolor (Richardson, 1848) is recorded based on a specimen from Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan. It represents the first Japanese and northernmost record. Leiuranus versicolor is similar to L. semicinctus, its single congener. The former can be easily separated from the latter by its unique banded pattern, usually with a narrow whitish yellow slit (vs. slit absent). The species was also photographed from Kashiwajima, southern part of Kochi Prefecture, southern Japan.