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Shortfinned worm eel
1921 illustration by Louis Thomas Griffin
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Genus:	Scolecenchelys
Species:	S. australis
Binomial name
Scolecenchelys australis (Macleay, 1881)
Synonyms
Muraenichthys australis Macleay, 1881 Muraenichthys tasmaniensis McCulloch, 1911 Scolecenchelys tasmaniensis (McCulloch, 1911) Scolecenchelys tasmaniensis smithi Whitley, 1944

The shortfinned worm eel (Scolecenchelys australis, also known commonly as the shortfin worm eel, worm eel, southern worm eel, Down's worm eel, or Tasmanian worm eel) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by William John Macleay in 1881, originally under the genus Muraenichthys. It is a marine, temperate water-dwelling eel which is known from Australia, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It forms large colonies which inhabit burrows in soft sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 40 centimetres (16 in).

The shortfinned worm eel's diet consists primarily of benthic crustaceans and polychaetes.

References

1. Synonyms of Scolecenchelys australis at www.fishbase.org.
2. Common names of Scolecenchelys australis at www.fishbase.org.
3. ^ Scolecenchelys australis at www.fishbase.org.
4. Macleay, W., 1881 (12 Sept.) A descriptive catalogue of Australian fishes. Part IV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales v. 6 (pt 2): 202-387.
5. Food and Feeding Habits Summary for Scolecenchelys australis at www.fishbase.org.

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