Tiger Snake Eel

Myrichthys tigrinus is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).

Descritpion

It has an elongated cylindrical body that taper toward the tail. It has a cream coloration with large black oval spots in a giraffe pattern. It has a spotted throat and chin. Its dorsal fin has a pale margin. Its head is conical with a short overhanging snout, mid-sized eyes, and a short mouth. Its teeth are small and granular with two irregular rows on the jaws and one on the roof of the mouth. It has short broad-based pectoral fins. Its tail, which has a blunt, hard, and finless tip, is 58 to 63% of body length. It does not have scales. Males can reach a maximum total length of 74 centimetres, but more commonly reach of 60 centimetres.

Distribution

From the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, and Peru.

Habitat

It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 60 metres, and inhabits benthic sediments of mud and sand. Can be seen at times in daylight searching for prey under rocks and in crevices over rocky bottoms, or buried completely in the sand when inactive. It is poorly studied and very little is known about their behavioral patterns.

Status

Myrichthys tigrinus is of no commercial interest to fisheries. Due to its wide distribution in the eastern Pacific, its lack of known threats and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the species as Least Concern.