Xiphasia matsubarai

The Japanese snake blenny, Xiphasia matsubarai, is a combtooth blenny found across the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, with its range barely reaching the Atlantic Ocean at False Bay, South Africa. It lives from the surface down to depths of 4,960 meters (16,270 feet) and grows to 30 cm (12 inches) in standard length. Its diet consists mainly of bony fish, and it rises to the surface at night to feed. This species also appears in the aquarium trade.

The body of X. matsubarai is elongated and eel-like, with a dorsal fin running the entire length of the body. Gray-brown stripes extend from the head along the body.

The head is small and rounded at the front, with slightly smaller eyes positioned near the sides. It lacks scales. The mouth has a single row of incisor teeth and large canines, with the lower canines being noticeably longer than the upper ones. Researchers used distinct morphological traits and sequence analysis to identify this species, and comparisons by Smith-Vanzi and Shen with X. setifer—focusing on fin length and color—helped confirm the initial discovery of the snake blenny.

The specific name honors Japanese ichthyologist Kiyomatsu Matsubara (1907–1968) of Kyoto University, a colleague of the two authors who named the species in his honor for the kindness he had shown them.