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Ophichthus ophis, the spotted snake eel,[2] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, originally under the genus Muraena.[4] It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including Bermuda and southern Florida, USA, Brazil, Lesser Antilles, Senegal, Angola, and the Mediterranean. It dwells at a depth range of 21 to 50 metres (69 to 164 ft), usually at around 50 m, and lives in burrows on a permanent basis. Males can reach a maximum total length of 210 centimeters (83 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 100 centimeters (39 in).[3]

Ophichthus ophis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Genus:	Ophichthus
Species:	O. ophis
Binomial name
Ophichthus ophis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
Muraena ophis Linnaeus, 1758 Ophichthys ophis (Linnaeus, 1758) Muraena hauannensis Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Ophisurus havanensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) Uranichthys havanensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) Anguilla serpens Shaw, 1803 Ophisurus guttatus Cuvier, 1816 Herpetoichthys sulcatus Kaup, 1856 Herpetoichthys callisoma Abbott, 1860 Uranichthys brachycephalus Poey, 1867 Antobrantia ribeiroi Pinto, 1970

The Spotted snake eel hunts nocturnally, and feeds primarily on octopuses and finfish, including Haemulon aurolineatum.[5] It is used as bait in subsistence fisheries, but is reported to cause ciguatera poisoning, and therefore is not usually used as a food source.[3]

References

External links

• Photos of Ophichthus ophis on Sealife Collection

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