Kingdom Animalia Family Ophichthidae Genus Echiophis Order Eel | Class Actinopterygii Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Echiophis, Eel, Spotted spoon‑nose eel, Sooty eel, Blackspotted snake eel | ||
The stippled spoon-nose eel (Echiophis punctifer, also known as the Spoon-nose eel or the Snapper eel) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1859. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, northern South America, Senegal, and Angola. It dwells at a depth range of 40 to 100 metres (130 to 330 ft), and inhabits shallow bays and lagoons, in which it forms burrows in mud and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 180 centimetres (71 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 100 centimetres (39 in).
The species epithet "punctifer", treated as a name in apposition, means "dotted" in Latin, and refers to the eel's colouration.
The eel is pinkish in color and has small dots, similar to leopard print. This eel is commonly found in shallow waters of Acapulco and the surrounding area, although it can also be found elsewhere.