Palespotted eel | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Anguilliformes |
Family: | Ophichthidae |
Genus: | Ophichthus |
Species: | O. puncticeps
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Binomial name | |
Ophichthus puncticeps (
Kaup, 1859)
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Synonyms [1] | |
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The palespotted eel [2] (Ophichthus puncticeps) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). [3] It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1859, originally under the genus Cryptopterus. [4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western Atlantic Ocean, including North Carolina, USA, the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, and Brazil. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 150 meters (0 to 492 ft), most often at around 5 to 40 meters (16 to 131 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 81 centimeters (32 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 60 centimeters (24 in). [3]