Harlequin Snake Eel

Ophichthidae are one of the most widely spread families scattering across the Indo-Pacific region at a variety of depth. They are most commonly found within the coastal regions of these oceans from Australia to Japan and Hawaii. Some species are even found along the coast of Mexico. Other individuals in the family are known to bury into the sandy sea floor of tropical and subtropical waters. They have been discovered to be anywhere from tidal zones to locations up to 800 meters below the surface. The family Ophichthidae is highly populous in tropical waters close to the coast. Distribution is difficult to discern because many eels in the same family as the banded snake eel often only have their heads poking out of the sands of which they’ve buried themselves.

The banded snake eels was recorded recently off of the coast of Hawaii but are known to be a very widespread species having been spotted in the Indian Ocean, Red Sea and along the southern coast of Africa. Many island chains such as the Line Islands, Society Islands and Tuamotu archipelago include them as well. Lastly they have been seen in the western pacific by the coats of New South Wales Australia and Japan.

The larval and developmental stages are widely not understood for the Myricthys genus. Looking at the Ophicthidae family we know that eels are all primarily nocturnal. This is also true of their larva. All Ophicthids are known to have pelagic leptocephalus larvae. It is also considered that Ophicthidae eels have a long larval stage, with the larvae and eggs of the eel being very hard to identify in a species specific way without genetic testing. Further information about breeding habits has not been researched.