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Speckled Worm Eel
Myrophis punctatus
The speckled worm-eel, Myrophis punctatus, is a member of the Ophichthidae (snake eel) family. It was described by Christian Frederik Lütken in 1852. M. punctatus have brown bodies that are lighter on the ventral side than the dorsal side. The upper body is speckled with pepper-like black spots. The snout is pointed. This species has regenerative powers. They grow to a maximum size of 35.3 cm.
From the article Speckled worm eel on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
The eel's depth range is 0.4m-750m, while the temperature range is 6.975°C – 27.717°C. The speckled worm eel is a benthic species. It lives in tropical marine and brackish habitats that range from seagrass beds and mangroves to offshore reefs. They are found in the Western Atlantic around the island of Bermuda; from North Carolina to Brazil; throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies, and the coast of Central America; and all through the Caribbean.
Wikipedia: “Habitat and distribution”
What it does
This species makes significant seasonal migrations. They migrate to the sea to spawn. They have leptocephalus larvae. Usually only juveniles are found inshore. They appear along the coast between December and May, from drifting in from offshore spawning areas.
Wikipedia: “Reproduction”
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Myrophis punctatus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 179538.