Myrichthys breviceps
Sharptail Eel
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Anguilliformes (True Eels)
Ophichthidae (Snake Eels)
Myrichthys
Myrichthys breviceps (Sharptail Eel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Elongate, cylindrical anteriorly and compressed posteriorly, dorsal fin originating on head, pectoral fin broad based, and tail ending as a hard, finless point. Snout short, acute, depressed, with groove ventrally. Upper jaw overhangs lower jaw. Lips lack barbels, anterior nostril tubular, and posterior nostril opens into mouth. Eye of moderate size and above middle of upper jaw. Gill openings vertical and semicircular. Jaw teeth molariform, biserial in juvenile specimens and multiserial in adults. Vomerine teeth number 29 to 42, biserial anteriorly and multiserial posteriorly. Pectoral fin short. Head pores well developed, with six infraorbital, four supraorbital, five mandibular, two preopercular, and three supratemporal. Snout 16% to 22%, eye 6.4% to 8.4%, mouth length 27% to 33%, and pectoral fin length 5% to 7.9% of head length. Head length 7.5% to 8.6%, predorsal length 4.8% to 6.3%, trunk length 30% to 34%, and depth behind gill openings 2.5% to 3% of TL. Total vertebrae number 165 to 175, predorsal vertebrae number 2 or 3, and preanal vertebrae number 61 to 65.
Brown dorsally, including entire tail, and pale ventrally, with 30 to 35 pale spots on each side of dorsal fin more or less arranged in pairs, and one to three rows of pale spots in alternating rows on sides. Snout, cheeks, and nape have small spots, and dorsal fin has dark margin and is variously spotted. Small individuals, less than 80 mm TL, are not spotted. In life this species is green to brownish green, with pale spots with yellowish to yellow centers.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and islands off southern Brazil.
Captured twice in the Gulf of Mexico—off Mobile Bay, Alabama, and the Dry Tortugas, Florida—and photographed from a submersible at the East Flower Gardens Reef in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Over sand and turtle grass at 3 to 9 m.
Biology
Maximum known size is 783 mm TL.
Commonly encountered swimming near the bottom in clear water from harbors to reefs. More common along continent and in grassy areas (Ref. 7251). Found in shallow areas to depths of 9 m. Feeds mainly on crabs. (Ref. 26938).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Distinct pairing (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-08-15. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from the other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
References
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Dennis and Bright 1988 (as M. acuminatus)
McCosker et al. 1989
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Beebe, W. and J. Tee-Van (1933) Field book of the shore fishes of Bermuda. J.P. Putnam's Sons, New York. 337 p.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott (1991) Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (20):183 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
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