Photo Credit: G.W. Link
| Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
| Ophichthidae | Ophichthus puncticeps | (Kaup) | 1860 | Palespotted Eel |
All Ophichthus — Tail tip a hard or fleshy finless point. Dorsal fin on or behind head. Gill openings unconstructed, inferior or lateral. Pectoral fins present, generally larger than eye; pectoral-fin base restricted, opposite upper half of gill openings. Coloration various, including plain and spotted species. Teeth pointed. Head and trunk as long as or shorter than tail. Eye over middle of upper jaw. Teeth not long and fang-like.
Ophichthus puncticeps
Unique Characters: Tail 65% or less of total length; body moderately elongate to stout. Pore coloration not like O. melanoporus. Dorsal-fin origin above, slightly behind, or in advance of pectoral-fin tips. Vomerine teeth uniserial (although sometimes a pair anteriorly). Tail shorter than 60% of total length. Body grey or bicolored, dark dorsally, with pale eye-sized spots along midline. Head pores within dark spots.
Similar Species:
Blackpored Eel
Ophichthus melanoporus
Margined Snake Eel
Ophichthus cruentifer
Blackpored Eel Ophichthus melanoporus. Tail 69% or more of total length; body elongate, not robust. Pores of head and lateral line dark and conspicuous, in striking contrast to head and body.
Margined Snake Eel Ophichthus cruentifer. Tail 65% or less of total length; body moderately elongate to stout. Pore coloration not like O. melanoporus. Dorsal-fin origin well behind tips of pectoral fins. Body dark (although median fins may be lighter), lacking bands or spots. Teeth small, biserial to multiserial in jaws; vomerine teeth uniserial posteriorly.
Blotchside Snake Eel
Ophichthus menezesi
Shrimp Eel Ophichthus gomesii
Spotted Snake Eel Ophichthus ophis
Blotchside Snake Eel Ophichthus menezesi. Tail 65% or less of total length; body moderately elongate to stout. Pore coloration not like O. melanoporus. Dorsal-fin origin well behind tips of pectoral fins. Body banded or spotted. Teeth stout, upper jaw teeth biserial or multiserial; vomerine teeth uniserial or biserial.
Shrimp Eel Ophichthus gomesii. Tail 65% or less of total length; body moderately elongate to stout. Pore coloration not like O. melanoporus. Dorsal-fin origin above, slightly behind, or in advance of pectoral-fin tips. Vomerine teeth biserial to triserial. Tail longer than 60% of total length. Body without dark bars, saddles, or light or dark spots.
Spotted Snake Eel Ophichthus ophis. Tail 65% or less of total length; body moderately elongate to stout. Pore coloration not like O. melanoporus. Dorsal-fin origin above, slightly behind, or in advance of pectoral-fin tips. Vomerine teeth uniserial (although sometimes a pair anteriorly). Tail shorter than 60% of total length. Body pale, with irregular large dark blotches or with small dark spots outlining lateral-line and head pores.
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