Species: Ophichthus frontalis, Death-banded snake-eel


Ophichthus frontalis (Garman, 1899)
Death-banded snake-eel
Elongate but relatively robust, body height < 7% of length, slightly compressed; head large, ~ 14% of TL; tail 54-59% or more of TL; eye large, about over middle of mouth; front nostril tubular, long under snout; rear nostril tubular, on upper lip near eye; snout overhanging; mouth large; teeth pointed, small, 2 rows on jaws, 1 row on front of roof of mouth; gill openings wide (twice length of pectoral fin base), vertical, low on sides; dorsal origin over rear ¼ of pectoral fin; tip of tail a blunt, finless point; pectoral fin well developed, rounded, ~ 29% of head length, base short, opposite and above upper half of gill opening; lateral line not abruptly arched at rear of head.
Back with dark bars as wide as snout and wider than interspaces, bars becoming darker after death; no dark spots along lower jaw; tail tip, anal fin + edge of pectoral dark.
Size: 86 cm.
Habitat: sand and mud bottoms.
Depth: 35-760 m.
Central Baja, the Gulf of California; Costa Rica to Ecuador.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Mud
- Soft bottom only
- 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)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- TEP endemic
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- All species
- Continental TEP endemic
- Continent only
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 86
- Depth Range Min
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- 35
- Depth Range Max
-
- 760