The whip eel (Bascanichthys scuticaris is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).Bascanichthys scuticaris at www.fishbase.org. It was described by George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1880.Goode, G. B. and T. H. Bean, 1880 (25 Mar.) [ref. 18135] Catalogue of a collection of fishes obtained in the Gulf of Mexico, by Dr. J. W. Velie, with descriptions of seven new species. Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 2 (no. 98): 333-345. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It inhabits reefs and coastal waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of . Whip eels are very similar in appearance to sooty eels (which are also found throughout the Gulf of Mexico), but whip eels can be distinguished by a row of small pale spots running along the lateral line.
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