Oder Anguilliformes Family Ophichthidae(Snake eels). Dark-throat worm eel Scolecenchelys fuscogularis(Hibino, Y. Kai & Kimura, 2013). Max length/: 26.5 cm TL. Korean name/ga-neun-mul-baem(가는물뱀) Japanese name/Nodoguro-mimizu-anago Vertebrae: 146 - 149.
Distribution; Northwest Pacific/East Sea(Japan Sea) of Korea, Sea of Japan(off Kyoto Prefecture), the Pacific coast(off Mie Prefecture), and East China Sea. General; The genus Scolecenchelys includes 21 species 7 of which are known in Japan, two species has been recorded from Korea(as of 2021, March). Head small, with slender body. Median groove on ventral side of snout absent. Pectoral fin absent. Anterior tip of lower jaw more acute than that of upper jaw. Teeth on jaws and vomer uniserial and conical, pointed. Dorsal-fin origin posterior to a vertical through the anus and above middle of the body. Center of the eye located behind the mid-jaw. Two nostrils present in front of eyes, posterior nostril is situated on the inner fold or margin of the upper lip. Sensory pores of head; superorbital/pores 4+1, infraorbital pores/4+3, preoperculomandibular pores/5+3, supratemporal pores/2. two infraorbital pores located between the anterior and posterior nostrils. Dark lower jaw with a patch of melanophores on the ventral side of its branchial basket. It dwells at a depth range of 90–147 metres. The species epithet "fuscogularis" means "dark throat" in Latin, and refers to the dark branchial basket of the eel.
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