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Species: Myrichthys aspetocheiros, Longfin spotted snake-eel

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

throat: no spots
D unmarked
pectoral: length > base width

Myrichthys aspetocheiros McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1993

Longfin spotted snake-eel

Body elongate, cylindrical, compressed at rear; tail 58-63% of TL; snout short, conical, grooved underneath; jaws short, top one overhanging; teeth blunt, molar- like or granular, in multiple rows, those at top front and roof of mouth the largest; lips without barbells; eye moderate to large; front nostril tubular, rear opens into mouth; gill openings at side, crescent shaped, inclined up and forwards; dorsal fin origin on head behind nape, before gill opening; pectoral fin broad based, short,  relatively large - longer than width of base; tip of tail a blunt, hard, finless point; lateral line complete, lines of each side of head connected by 2 canals with across top of head.

Tan above, paler below; 2 irregular rows of large brown spots on head and upper half of body, smaller spots on snout and chin; throat, pectoral fin + tip of tail unpigmented; median fins largely unmarked, a few dark smudges; eyes blue.

Size: 52 cm.

Habitat: sand bottoms.

Depth: 10-65 m.

The mouth of the Gulf of California to Panama.


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Salinity
  • Marine Only
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Mud
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Rocks
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • No Data
Diet
  • No Data
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
  • Mobile benthic worms
  • Bony fishes
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Pelagic
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • All species
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • All species
  • TEP endemic
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
IUCN Red List
  • Listed
  • Least concern
CITES
  • Not listed
Depth Range Min
  • 10
Depth Range Max
  • 65
Length Max
  • 52