The Sailfin eel (Paraletharchus pacificus, also known commonly as the Pacific sailfin eel in MexicoCommon names of Paraletharchus pacificus at www.fishbase.org.) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).Paraletharchus pacificus at www.fishbase.org. It was described by Raymond Carroll Osburn and John Treadwell Nichols in 1916, originally under the genus Letharchus.Osburn, R. C. and J. T. Nichols, 1916 (26 May) [ref. 15062] Shore fishes collected by the "Albatross" expedition in Lower California, with descriptions of new species. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History v. 35 (art. 16): 139-181. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean (from which its species epithet is derived), including Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama.Paraletharchus pacificus at the IUCN redlist. It is known to dwell at a depth of , and inhabits rock and sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of .
Due to its wide distribution, lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the Sailfin eel as Least Concern.
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