Dogface Witch Eel, Facciolella equatorialis

Dogface Witch Eel, Facciolella equatorialis. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of the greater Los Cabos area, Baja California Sur, June 2012. Length: 38 cm (15 inches); Tail 76% of TL. Identification courtesy of H.J. Walker, Jr., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California.

The Dogface Witch Eel, Facciolella equatorialis, is a member of the Duckbill Eel or Nettastomatidae Family, and is known in Mexico as serpentina bruja. Globally, there are six species in the genus Facciolella, of which one is found in Mexican waters, this fish from the Pacific Ocean.

The Dogface Witch Eels has a very elongated cylindrical slender body. They have a brown coloration that transitions to tan mid-body. They are covered with small black dots dorsally which are very dense on their upper snout, under their eyes, and on their gill covers. Their head is narrow with a long pointed snout, well-developed eyes, projecting jaws, and a large toothy mouth. Their anal and dorsal fins are confluent with their caudal fin; and their pectoral fins are small. Their tail is slender, attenuated, very pointed, and greater than 50% of total body length; it is often broken off and regenerated. Their lateral line is complete.

The Dogface Witch Eel is a bathypelagic species that is found in relatively deep water species found at depths between 64 m (210 feet) and 1,000 m (3,280 feet). They reach a maximum of 90 cm (2 feet 11 inches) in length. They feed on small deep sea crustaceans and fish. The Dogface Witch 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 Dogface Witch Eel is difficult to identify and most likely will be confused with other similar appearing eels.

The Dogface Witch Eel in Mexican waters is virtually unknown and undocumented. They are believed to be found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean but documented collections are exceedingly rare.

From a conservation perspective the Dogface Witch Eel has not been formally evaluated. They are exceedingly rare and of limited interest to most.