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Related FAQs: Snake and Worm Eels, Conger Eels, Moray
Eels, Freshwater Moray Eels,
Other Marine
Eels ,
Related Articles: Conger
Eels, Moray Eels, Zebra Morays, Snowflake Morays, Other Marine Eels,
The Diversity of Aquatic
Life Series
The Snake and
Worm Eels, Family Ophichthidae
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| Bob Fenner |
Myrichthys breviceps
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Genus Myrichthys:
| Myrichthys breviceps (Richardson 1844), the
Sharptail Snake Eel. Tropical West Atlantic. To a bit over three
feet in length. Rarely survives for any period of time in captivity
due to a lack of feeding, collateral damage from collection,
handling. Needs large, sandy-bottomed quarters, ghost shrimp, small
crabs for food. May eat mouth-size or smaller fish tankmates. Wild
photos below at night off of St. Lucia, and an aquarium image. |
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| Myrichthys maculosus (Cuvier
1816), the Tiger or Spotted Snake Eel. To a meter in length.
Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the central Pacific, not
including Hawaii and the Leeward Islands. Replaced by Myrichthys
magnificus in the Hawaiian Islands. Lives in and above sandy
bottoms, sometimes exposing itself entirely while hunting for food.
Here, out and about during the day in the Galapagos.
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/
SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=2650&
genusname=Myrichthys&
speciesname=maculosus |


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Genus Ophichthus:
| Ophichthus altipennis (Kaup 1856), the
Highfin Snake Eel. Seen mostly in the sand by day. Darken with age,
size. A younger individual in Mabul, Malaysia and a larger/older
one with a friendly shrimp on its snout and one out and about in N.
Sulawesi. |
| Ophichthus bonaparti (Kaup 1856), Napoleon
Snake Eel. To 3/4 meter in length. Indo-West Pacific: off Durban,
South Africa, then from Mauritius to Indonesia. Lembeh Strait pic,
Indo. |
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