Info
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Bermuda and southern Florida, USA to Brazil.
Lesser Antilles.
Eastern Atlantic: Senegal to Angola. Mediterranean.
Biology
Lives in a permanent burrow, often in very shallow water.
Heads protrude diagonally from the sand. Nocturnal.
Feeds on octopus and fish.
Bold and easily approached. Feared by fishers.
Short description
Body pale, dark band across back of head.
High to very high vulnerability.
Reports of ciguatera poisoning.
Synonymised taxa:
Anguilla serpens Shaw, 1803
Antobrantia ribeiroi Pinto, 1970
Herpetoichthys callisoma Abbott, 1861
Herpetoichthys sulcatus Kaup, 1856
Muraena hauannensis Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Muraena ophis Linnaeus, 1758
Ophichthys ophis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Ophisurus guttatus Cuvier, 1816
Ophisurus havanensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Uranichthys brachycephalus Poey, 1867
Uranichthys havanensis (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Classification: Biota > Animalia (Kingdom) > Chordata (Phylum) > Vertebrata (Subphylum) > Gnathostomata (Superclass) > Pisces (Superclass) > Actinopterygii (Class) > Anguilliformes (Order) > Ophichthidae (Family) > Ophichthinae (Subfamily) > Ophichthus (Genus)