Myrophis punctatus
Speckled Worm Eel
NS
GNR
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Anguilliformes (True Eels)
Ophichthidae (Snake Eels)
Myrophis
Myrophis punctatus (Speckled Worm 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.)
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Characters
Moderately elongate and laterally compressed, with well-developed pectoral fins and caudal fin. Snout is conical, overhangs lower jaw, and lacks groove on underside. Lips lack barbels. Anterior nostril is tubular. Posterior nostril is located along edge of lip, beneath flap, and opens into mouth. Eye is well developed. Jaw teeth are small, conical, and at least partially biserial, with 23 to 25 close-set teeth in outer row and 6 to 12 longer teeth in inner row of upper jaw, and 26 to 28 small teeth in outer row and 6 or 7 teeth in inner row of lower jaw. Intermaxillary teeth consist of outer circle of 9 or 10 teeth and several inner teeth. Vomerine teeth are continuous with intermaxillary teeth and consist of 24 to 29 bi- or uniserial teeth. Gill openings are constricted and located anterior to base of pectoral fin. Head pores number six infraorbital, five supraorbital, one postorbital, and three supratemporal. Snout is 11% to 16%, eye is 5.9% to 9.2%, and mouth length is 22% to 32% of head length. Head length is 9% to 12%, predorsal length is 23% to 28%, trunk length is 27% to 31%, and depth behind gill openings is 2.4% to 3.5% of TL. Total vertebrae number 141 to 154, predorsal vertebrae number 29 to 34, and preanal vertebrae number 51 to 55.
Color is pale tan to dark brown, with numerous squarish brown freckles on dorsal and lateral aspects of head, chin, and body. Large specimens are darker than small specimens.
Distribution
Western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies.
Habitat Associations
Inshore in protected areas to 7 m, including brackish waters. Has been captured at the surface at night.
Biology
Maximum known size is 353 mm TL.
Inhabits seagrass beds from bays and mangroves to offshore reefs. Adults move to open sea to spawn. The species has considerable regenerative powers (Ref. 5521). Tidal creeks and brackish estuaries offshore to depths of 7 m (Ref. 26938). Reported from fresh water in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Mexico (Ref. 30499). Caught for bait fishery with use of ichthyotoxic plants (e.g. 'cunabi') along the north Brazilian coast (Ref. 34896).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-08-02. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Hoese and Moore 1977
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
McCosker et al. 1989
Leiby 1989
Boschung 1992
Böhlke, J.E. and C.C.G. Chaplin (1993) Fishes of the Bahamas and adjacent tropical waters. 2nd edition. University of Texas Press, Austin.
Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott (1988) Atlantic fishes of Canada. Can. Bull. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 219:731 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.
Greenfield, D.W. and J.E. Thomerson (1997) Fishes of the continental waters of Belize. University Press of Florida, Florida. 311 p.
Comments On Myrophis punctatus