Redsaddled Snake Eel, Quassiremus nothochir

Redsaddled Snake Eel, Quassiremus nothochir. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

The Redsaddled Snake Eel, Quassiremus nothochir, is a member of the Snake Eel or Ophichthidae Family, that is also known as the Redbanded Snake Eel and the Smallfish Snake Eel, and in Mexico as tieso bisagra. Globally, there are four species in the genus Quassiremus, of which two are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic Ocean and one, this species, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Redsaddled Snake Eel has a stout body that is compressed toward the rear. They are cream to tan in color with the head covered with small black spots and the body has 15 large black-edged red / orange saddle like markings with large and small black spots in between. Their head has an overhanging conical snout. Their teeth are pointed in single rows on both jaws and the roof of the mouth. Their dorsal fin originates behind the gill openings; their tail, which is blunt and ends in a finless point, is 44% to 47% of total length; and their pectoral fins are minute.  Their lateral line is prominent and complete.

The Redsaddled Snake Eel is found within sandy and rocky bottoms at depths up to 80 m (262 feet). They reach a maximum of 70 cm (2 feet 4 inches) in length. The Redsaddled Snake Eel is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Redsaddled Snake Eel has a limited distribution being found in the lower two-thirds of the Sea of Cortez and along the coast of the mainland south to Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán. The fish photographed above represents a southerly extension of the range of the Redsaddled Snake Eel into the coastal waters of the State of Guerrero.

The Redsaddled Snake Eel, due to its unique markings on the body, cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Redsaddled Snake Eel is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are seldom seen by humans and of limited interest to most. They are considered to be harmless toward humans.