| Shrimp eel | |
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| Species: | O. gomesii |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus gomesii (Castelnau, 1855) | |
The shrimp eel (Ophichthus gomesii) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). [1] It was described by Francis de Laporte de Castelnau in 1855. It is a common inshore species of eel usually found in the shallow Gulf of Mexico and the high-salinity bays where it inhabits muddy habitats. [2]
The shrimp eel has an elongate body and snake-like shape characteristic of the eels. Individuals are colored brown to gray on their dorsal side with lighter coloration below. Their branchial region (ventral side behind the head) is swollen with a basket-like structure of over-lapping free rays (jugostegalia) underneath the skin but they are often visible through the skin. The tail is fleshy with no caudal or pelvic fins. The common length of an adult is 50 centimeters. The maximum length collected is 91.4 centimeters.
Shrimp eels can be distinguished from other eels by their lack of a caudal fin and external jugostegalia (basket-like structure of over-lapping free rays). It can also be distinguished from other snake eels by its lack of markings, well-developed pectoral fin, and dorsal fin originating behind the gill slit. [3]
Shrimp eels are distributed along the Western Atlantic from Canada to Massachusetts and the northern Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil. They are absent in the Bahamas and most of the Caribbean islands. [4]
Shrimp eels habitat gulfs and bays in sandy or muddy waters. Their depth range is between 1–450 meters. [5]
The shrimp is the most common eel in Florida shrimp grounds, although they are rarely consumed. [6]
The margined snake eel is a snake eel in the genus Ophichthus. It is found in the coastal waters of the western North Atlantic. It inhabits offshore waters at depths of about 106–154 m (348–505 ft).
Least puffer, Sphoeroides parvus, is a species in the family Tetraodontidae, or pufferfishes. This species is the common bay and inshore puffer for the waters around Texas and Louisiana. It has also been found as far east as Apalachicola Bay and south to Yucatán. Mature least puffers are small, usually less than four inches (100 mm).
The Ridgefin eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Isaac Ginsburg in 1951, originally under the genus Gordiichthys. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 22 to 36 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 80.1 centimeters (31.5 in).
The highfin snake eel (Ophichthus altipennis, also known as the blackfin snake eel or the black-finned snake eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Microdonophis. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern Indian Ocean and northwestern and western central Pacific Ocean, including Australia, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 40 m, and forms burrows in soft inshore sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 103 cm.
The thin snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Mexico and Colombia. It is known from two specimens observed dwelling in sand at a depth range of 0 to 8 m. The maximum length recorded was 23.1 cm (9.1 in), albeit on an immature specimen.
The dark deepwater snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Chen Yu-Yun in 2000. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from Taiwan, in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 36–1350 m, and inhabits sand and mud. Specimens have been observed in burrows with only their heads exposed, or resting on sediment with their bodies curved in an S shape. Females can reach a maximum total length of 62.8 cm.
The bluntnose snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. The author of the species is anonymous, but it has been referred to Edward Turner Bennett in 1830. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines. It dwells at a maximum depth of 22 m, but also frequents shores. Males can reach a maximum total length of 45 cm.
The snubnose snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Steve W. Ross in 2007. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from North Carolina, USA, in the western central Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 370 to 440 meters. Females can reach a total length of 29.2 centimeters (11.5 in).
The death-banded snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Samuel Garman in 1899. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the central Gulf of California, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 35–760 metres, and forms burrows in sandy and muddy bottoms. Males can reach a maximum total length of 86 centimetres.
Ophichthus longipenis, known commonly as the Slender snake eel in Mexico, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 69 metres, and inhabits sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 58.7 centimetres (23.1 in).
The Longarmed snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central Pacific Ocean, including Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 24 to 79 metres, and inhabits soft substrates. Males can reach a maximum total length of 27.4 centimetres (10.8 in).
The blackpored eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Robert H. Kanazawa in 1963. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Florida, USA; the Bahamas, and Mexico. It dwells at a depth range of 51–460 meters. While the adults inhabit deep water, the larvae are laid inshore. Males can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimeters.
The Spotted snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, originally under the genus Muraena. 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, 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).
The Palespotted eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1859, originally under the genus Cryptopterus. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina, USA, the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, and Brazil. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 150 meters, most often at around 5 to 40 meters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 81 centimeters (32 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 60 centimeters (24 in).
The King snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John H. Caruso in 1980. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Florida to Texas, USA, in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 15 to 365 meters, and inhabits offshore waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 211 centimeters (83 in); the maximum recorded weight is 23.6 kilograms (52 lb). caught by Patrick Lemire on the Texsun II out of Galveston, Texas in 1997.
The Antillian snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by John Roxborough Norman in 1922. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the western central Atlantic Ocean, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, and Venezuela. It is known to dwell at a maximum depth of 300 meters, and inhabits coastal waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 107 centimeters, but more commonly reach a TL of 70 cm.
The Pacific snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus Muraenopsis. It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including California, USA, Peru, the Gulf of California, Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama. It dwells at a maximum depth of 155 metres (509 ft), and forms burrows in mud and sand sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 115 centimetres (45 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 80 centimetres (31 in).
The Manetail snake eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Hermann Schlegel in 1846, originally under the genus Conger. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific. It inhabits deep waters, but is found in muddy sediments in shallow waters on rare occasions. Males can reach a maximum total length of 61.5 centimetres (24.2 in).
The yellow snake-eel is an eel in the family Ophichthidae. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1882. It is a marine, subtropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States. It dwells at a depth range of 1 to 110 m, and forms burrows in rocky and sandy regions. Males can reach a maximum total length of 818 cm (322 in), but more commonly reach a length of 540 cm (210 in).
The Bean's sawtooth eel is an eel in the family Nemichthyidae. It was described by Theodore Gill and John Adam Ryder in 1883. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from throughout the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific Ocean, including Iceland, South Africa, Réunion, and Australia. It dwells at a depth range of 0–5998 metres, and leads a solitary lifestyle. It migrates vertically at night. Males can reach a maximum total length of 78-80 centimetres, making it the largest sawtooth eel.