| 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 [2] | |
| |
Ophichthus ophis, the spotted snake eel, [3] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). [4] It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, originally under the genus Muraena . [5] 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). [4]
The Spotted snake eel hunts nocturnally, and feeds primarily on octopuses and finfish, including Haemulon aurolineatum . [6] 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. [4]
