Shortfinned worm eel

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 cm.

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