Species: Ophichthus tetratrema, Four-pored snake-eel


D origin behind pectoral
Ophichthus tetranemus McCosker & Rosenblatt, 1998
Four-pored snake-eel
Body relatively robust, elongate (height at anus 3.5-4% TL); tail 58.5-60% of TL; head 11% of TL; eye moderate size, ~1/3 length of top jaw, over rear half of mouth; front nostril tubular under snout, ~1/3 of eye diameter; rear nostril a tube above top lip, its tip expanded and flap like, can extend below mouth line; snout overhanging, rounded, conical when viewed from above; mouth large; teeth pointed, depressible, front of roof of mouth with 2-3 pairs of teeth, then 7-10 in a single row, 1 row of 15-19 teeth on lower jaws, 1-2 rows of 12-14 teeth on top jaws (1 row in smaller fish); gill opening vertical, semicircular; dorsal fin origin a little behind pectoral fin base; dorsal and anal fins low, expanded at rear of tail, tip of tail a blunt, finless point; pectorals paddle shaped, longer than wide, with restricted bases - opposite and above upper half of gill opening; lateral line not abruptly arched at rear of head.
Head and body tan to chocolate brown (black in life), darker on throat and belly; dorsal and anal fins pale, with dark bases; pectoral dark like body.
Size: 56 cm.
Habitat: sand bottoms.
Depth: 700-1000 m.
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
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Mud
- Soft bottom only
- Sand & gravel
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
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- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- No Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
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- East Pacific endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- Panamic province endemic
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 56
- Depth Range Min
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- 700
- Depth Range Max
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- 1000