The Pacific spoon-nose eel (Echiophis brunneus, also known commonly as the Fangjaw eel in Mexico[2]) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by José Luis Castro-Aguirre and Sergio Suárez de los Cobos in 1983, originally under the genus Notophtophis.[4] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including the Gulf of California, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Panama.[5] It dwells at a maximum depth of 10 metres (33 ft), and inhabits sand and mud sediments. Males can reach a maximum total length of 140 centimetres (55 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 60 centimetres (24 in).[3]
| Pacific spoon-nose eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Echiophis |
| Species: | E. brunneus
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| Binomial name | |
| Echiophis brunneus (Castro-Aguirre & Suárez de los Cobos, 1983)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Due to its wide distribution, lack of known major threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the Pacific spoon-nose eel as Least Concern.[5] It is sometimes caught as by-catch by trawlers, but is usually discarded.[5]
References edit
- ^ Synonyms of Echiophis brunneus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Common names of Echiophis brunneus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ a b Echiophis brunneus at www.fishbase.org.
- ^ Castro-Aguirre, J. L. and S. Suárez de los Cobos, 1983 (Dec.) [ref. 5313] Notophtophis brunneus, nuevo género y especie de la familia Ophichthidae, (Pisces: Anguilliformes) hallado en la Bahía de Acapulco, Guerrero, México. Anales de la Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas México v. 27: 113-128.
- ^ a b c Echiophis brunneus at the IUCN redlist.
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