Ophisternon aenigmaticum
Obscure Swamp Eel
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Synbranchiformes (Swamp Eels)
Synbranchidae (Swamp Eels)
Ophisternon
Ophisternon aenigmaticum (Obscure Swamp Eel)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: eel-like. With small inconspicuous blotches; gill opening far forward on underside of head. No paired fins (Ref. 26938).
Distribution
Central America: throughout the Atlantic Slope of Guatemala and Mexico to Cuba.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish. demersal.
Biology
Found in a variety of habitats from standing water in small muddy pools to clear running water in streams and larger bodies of water such as lakes (Ref. 79717). The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205).
Max length: 80.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. The male guards and builds nest or burrow (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2018-09-11. Resilience: Low (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Lee, D.S., S.P. Platania and G.H. Burgess (1983) Atlas of North American freshwater fishes, 1983 supplement. Occasional Papers of the North Carolina Biological Survey no. 1983-6. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, N.C. 67 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.
Kullander, S.O. (2003) Family Synbranchidae (Swamp-eels). p. 594-595. In R.E. Reis, S.O. Kullander and C.J. Ferraris, Jr. (eds.) Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS, Brasil.
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