Species: Myrophis punctatus, Speckled worm eel


Myrophis punctatus Lütken, 1852
Speckled worm eel
Moderately elongate, compressed; tail 58-64% of TL, its tip flexible; snout blunt, broadly depressed, without groove on underside; eye large, its size affected by sexual development, centered over top jaw; 1 pore behind upper ½ of eye; front nostril tubular, rear nostril under a flap, opening into mouth; lips without barbells; gill opening small; on underside; teeth small, conical, curved back, an outer ring of 9-10 teeth + several in center at front between top jaws, a front patch then 1-2 rows (usually 1 at rear) of 24-29 teeth on center of roof of mouth; top jaw with 23-25 close-set teeth in outer row, 6-12 longer, sharper, space teeth on inner row, sometimes 3-4 rows at front; lower jaw with outer row of 26-28 small, close-set teeth and an inner row or 3-row patch of 6-7 teeth; gill opening small, at lower corner of pectoral base; dorsal fin origin about midway between gill opening and anus, > twice head length behind snout tip; dorsal and anal confluent with tail fin; pectoral fin well developed, broad based; lateral line pores visible on head and trunk only, only a few behind anus, lines of each side of head connected by 2 canals with across top of head.
Uniform pale tan, speckled with squarish brown spots on upper head and body, chin, and on all of tail; anal fin white; dorsal fin white at front, base grey at rear.
Reaches 35.3 cm.
Lives on soft bottoms of seagrass beds and mangroves, frequently in brackish water and tidal creeks; enters freshwater.
Depth range: 0-20 m, usually < 7 m.
The Carolinas to Brazil.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Freshwater
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
-
- Soft bottom only
- Estuary
- Sand & gravel
- Submerged vegetation
- Mangrove
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Demersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Data
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- Extends North of GC
- Extends N + S of GC
- Extends South of GC
- Also in Brazil
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Temperate (>35N)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 35.3
- Depth Range Min
-
- 0
- Depth Range Max
-
- 20