King snake eel
The king snake eel[1] (Ophichthus rex) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John H. Caruso in 1980.[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Florida to Texas, USA, in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 15 to 365 meters (49 to 1,198 ft), and inhabits offshore waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 211 centimeters (83 in); the maximum recorded weight is 23.6 kilograms (52 lb).[2] caught by Patrick Lemire on the Texsun II out of Galveston, Texas in 1997.
| King snake eel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Ophichthidae |
| Genus: | Ophichthus |
| Species: | O. rex |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophichthus rex J. E. Böhlke & J. H. Caruso, 1980 | |
The King snake eel is often caught near oil platforms by anglers.[2]
References
- Common names for Ophichthus rex at www.fishbase.org.
- Ophichthus rex at www.fishbase.org.
- Böhlke, J. E. and J. H. Caruso, 1980 (19 Dec.) [ref. 8737] Ophichthus rex: a new giant snake eel from the Gulf of Mexico (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia v. 132: 239-244.
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