Genus: Venefica, Witch Pikeconger Eel, Witch-eels, Witch-eels, Sorcer-Eels

VENEFICA

WITCH-EELS, SORCER-EELS

Elongate, body rounded at front, compressed at rear, tapering; tail slender, tapering to a filamentous tip; tail 60-80% of TL;  head and snout slender, elongate, pointed; a long, pointed fleshy proboscis at tip of snout; snout long, overhangs mouth; eye small; front nostril a low tube at base of proboscis; rear nostril  a variable shaped hole, before upper part of eye to directly over front ¼ of eye; mouth long, reaches well past eye; teeth small, conical, curved, in bands on jaws and vomer; a large tooth patch at front between top jaws; vomer with a long slender tooth patch reaching back almost to eye; lower jaw teeth meet at tip of jaws, where they fit into a groove between the vomer tooth patch and the patch at the front of the top jaws; dorsal and anal fins joined to tail fin; origin of dorsal fin ~over gill opening;  pectoral fin absent; lateral line complete to end of tail.

Circumtropical, with 5 species, 2 Pacific species in the TEP, 1 Atlantic species in the Greater Caribbean