Species: Ophichthus triserialis, Pacific snake-eel

eye large
outer D - dark spots

Ophichthus triserialis (Kaup, 1856)
Pacific snake-eel
Robust, cylindrical; tail 53-58% of TL; eye large, about over middle of mouth; front nostril tubular under snout; rear nostril before eye, covered with a long fleshy flap that extends below top lip; snout overhanging; mouth large; teeth pointed, 2 rows on each jaw, 1 row on roof of mouth, no canines; gill opening vertical, semicircular; dorsal origin over rear of pectoral; tip of tail a blunt, finless point; pectoral fins well developed, larger than eye, with restricted bases - opposite and above upper half of gill opening; lateral line not abruptly arched at rear of head.
Tan, 2 rows of large dark brown spots on body, 1 along base of dorsal fin, and 1 along lateral line, spots in the 2 lines may alternate; dorsal fin yellow with a series of dark oblong spots along outer half; smaller spots scattered along belly and on sides and top of head; anal and pectoral dusky, sometimes with small dusky spots.
Size: 113 cm.
Habitat: burrows in sandy and muddy bottoms.
Depth: 1-155 m.
N California to Peru.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- Continent + Island (s)
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 155
- Length Max
-
- 113