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Species: Ophichthus remiger, Punctuated snake-eel, White-spotted snake-eel

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robust
LL pores in white spots
tail 56-62% TL
pectoral elongate, pointed, black

Ophichthus remiger (Valenciennes, 1842)

Punctuated snake-eel, White-spotted snake-eel

Relatively robust; tail 56-62% of TL; head 14-15% of TL; eye large, 9-11% of head length about over middle of mouth; front nostril tubular under snout; rear nostril a tube above lip, ending in a flap, extending down but not reaching mouth; snout overhanging; mouth large; teeth conical, 1 row on front of roof of mouth, 2 rows on sides of jaws; gill opening vertical, semicircular; dorsal fin origin before end of pectoral fin; tip of tail a blunt, finless point; pectorals elongate, pointed, ~ 25-33% of head length, with restricted bases - opposite and above upper half of gill opening; lateral line not abruptly arched at rear of head.

Grey to brown above, paler below; lateral line with a row of small, well separated white spots from above pectoral onto tail; front membrane of gill opening dark; dorsal and anal fins dark; pectoral fin dark, particularly the top margin and inner surface; anal colorless; juveniles paler and with paler fins.

Size: 83 cm.

Habitat: sand bottoms.

Depth: 15-280 m.

Nicaragua to Chile.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore Only
  • Inshore
Water Column Position
  • Bottom only
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Mud
  • Soft bottom only
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
Feeding Group
  • No Data
  • Carnivore
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • No Data
  • Bony fishes
  • Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
Egg Type
  • Pelagic larva
  • Pelagic
  • No data
Global Endemism
  • East Pacific endemic
  • TEP non-endemic
  • All species
Regional Endemism
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Peruvian province, primarily
  • Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • Continent
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 83
Depth Range Min
  • 15
Depth Range Max
  • 280