ANIMAL SPECIES:Ocellate Snake Eel, Myrichthys maculosus (Cuvier, 1816)
As its standard name implies, this largely tropical species is spotted. What it doesn't convey is that the spots change with age.
Alternative Name/s
Spotted Snake EelIdentification
The Ocellate Snake Eel has dark spots on a cream-coloured background. The arrangement of spots changes as a fish grows. Juveniles under 25 cm in length have one row of spots on the upper sides. Fish between 30 cm and 50 cm in length (such as that in the images) have spots along the midline alternating with spots on the upper sides. Fishes over 50cm in length have two or three rows of spots on the upper sides of the body and several rows of smaller spots along the lower surface.
Size range
The species grows to 1 m in length.Distribution
It occurs in marine tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific.
In Australia it is recorded from the offshore reefs of north-western Western Australia and the northern Great Barrier Reef south to the central coast of New South Wales.
Distribution by collection data
Biomaps map of Ocellate Snake Eel specimens in the Australian Museum collection.
Habitat
The Ocellate Snake Eel occurs on sandy coastal reefs where it burrows in the substrate. It is sometimes seen swimming in the open over sand or weedy areas.
Classification
- Species:
- maculosus
- Genus:
- Myrichthys
- Family:
- Ophichthidae
- Order:
- Anguilliformes
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Michael, S.W. 1998. Reef Fishes. Volume 1. A Guide to Their Identification, Behaviour, and Captive Care. Microcosm. Pp. 624.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
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Ocellate Snake Eel at Cabbage Tree Island View full size
Tony Woodfield
© Tony Woodfield
Ocellate Snake Eel, Myrichthys maculosus View full size
Tony Woodfield
© Tony Woodfield
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2 comments
Mark McGrouther
8.03 AM, 18 March 2010
Hi Ella, Sorry about the lack of image on the page. I will fix that today. I have not heard anything about the weight of this species. It is a slender fish and only grows to about 1 m in length, so I imagine that a big one would not weigh more than a kilogram or so. I did a few searches on the Web without success. Perhaps someone else can supply us with an answer.
ellaconley
4.03 PM, 17 March 2010
I would have liked to know the weight of a spotted snake eel!
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