Apterichtus moseri (Jordan & Snyder 1901)

This species is distinguished by the following characters: tail 1.9-2.1, head 14-18, and body depth 53-74 in total length; preopercular pores 3 and pores in supratemporal canal 5 (rarely 6); anterior margin of orbit is above or behind tip of lower jaw; conical teeth, uniserial on jaws and vomer (5 vomerine teeth); body coloration when preserved pale with dark brown or dark orange blotches on preopercle and supratemporal, smaller spots on body and tail, cephalic pores and lateral-line pores in conspicuous pale spots and MVF 66-143, total vertebrae 141-145 (n= 3) (Ref. 101270).

Vertebrae: 141 - 145

A deepwater species, specimens were captured using dredge and trawl between 111-240 m depth but underwater photographs taken from the sandy bottom at Suruga Bay (Japan) suggest that it might occur as shallow as 15-25 m depth (Ref. 101270).

產於日本東南部海域，台灣沿海目前僅花蓮有採集記錄。

極罕見蛇鰻類，經濟價值不高，但具研究價值。

全長為頭長的9.3-9.4倍；全長為鰓孔位體高的37.0-38.8倍；全長為軀幹長的2.7-2.8倍。吻部狹長，突出尖銳；不具胸鰭及任何中位鰭，背部僅有背鰭退化所凸出的皮褶狀痕跡；除頭部及腹部偏灰白，體大致為橄欖色；頭部與體上半側滿布灰色小點，並有一深褐色縱帶沿著側線孔延伸到尾部；口裂頗深，眼則位於其中央稍前；除篩骨齒前幾枚為犬齒狀外，其餘多為圓錐狀；總脊椎骨數為143-145。本種係於100多年前，由美國海軍艦隊Moser少校在日本駿河灣海域(近靜岡縣)所捕撈到的，經Jordan and Snyder於1901年以其姓氏發表命名；中文名稱則按模式產地來取名(伍等，1999)。於1999年首次由黃建霖先生在花蓮溪出海口採集到二尾標本。

本種主要棲息於沿岸海域之沙泥底，以無脊椎動物或小魚為食。

Apterichtus moseri is a species of snake eel native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean where it is only known from Suruga Bay and the Kumano-nada Sea in Japan. It occurs at depths of from 111 to 114 metres (364 to 374 ft). This species has been recorded as reaching 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL for a female specimen.