Fangjaw Eel, Echiophis brunneus
Fangjaw Eel, Echiophis brunneus. Fish provided by the commercial fishermen of Bahía Kino, Sonora, November 2014. Length: 48 cm (19 inches). Photograph courtesy of Maria Johnson, Prescott College Kino Bay Center, Kino Bay, Sonora.
Fangjaw Eel, Echiophis brunneus. Fish collected off the surface from coastal waters off Los Barilles, Baja California Sur, February 2024. Length: ca. 1.80 m (6 feet 0 inches). Collection and photograph courtesy of Chip Shapley, Los Barriles. Identification courtesy of Dr. Benjami Victor, Coralreeffish.com. Note: this fish significantly exceeds the known maximum for this species; this fish significantly extends the known range for this species, previously only known to the northeastern coast of the Sea of Cortez.
Fangjaw Eel, Echiophis brunneus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2024. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.
The Fangjaw Eel, Echiophis brunneus, is a member of the Snake Eel or Ophichthidae Family, that is also known as the Pacific Spoon-nose Eel and in Mexico as tieso colmillón. This eel was introduced by the scientific community as a new species as recently as 1983. Globally, there are five species in the genus Echiophis, of which three are found in Mexican waters, two in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean.
The Fangjaw Eel has a stout cylindrical body. They have a tan coloration and are covered with numerous small brown spots on their back and sides. They have a brown dorsal fin and black pectoral fins. Their head has a short conical snout with a long mouth and small eyes that are far forward on top. They have strong pointed teeth; the largest are fangs and are found at the front of their mouth. Their caudal fin has a blunt tip and is finless. Their dorsal fin originates behind their small and rounded pectoral fins. Their tail is 52% to 57% of total length.
The Fangjaw Eel is a shallow water species found at depths up to 9 m (30 feet) and are normally buried in sand and mud. They reach a maximum length of 1.40 m (4 feet 7 inches). The Fangjaw 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.
In Mexican waters the Fangjaw Eel has a very limited distribution being found only along the northeastern coast of the Sea of Cortez.
The Fangjaw Eel cannot be confused with any other species due to its coloration and tooth structure.
The Fangjaw Eel has not been formally evaluated from a conservation perspective. It is too rare and too obscure being seldom seen by humans and is of interest to most.