Palespotted Eel, Ophichthus puncticeps

Palespotted Eel, Ophichthus puncticeps. Fish caught from coastal waters off Deerfield Beach, Florida, April 2022. Length: 62 cm (2 feet 0 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Dominick Porcelli, Lighthouse Point, Florida.

The Palespotted Eel, Ophichthus puncticeps, is a member of the Snake Eel or Ophichthidae Family, and is known in Mexico as tieso blanco. Globally, there are sixty-six species in the genus Ophichthus, of which nine are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and six in the Pacific Ocean.

The Palespotted Eel has an elongated cylindrical and snake-like body that tapers toward the tail. They are greenish brown dorsally transitioning to white ventrally. They have a row of 18 to 22 evenly spaced white or pale eye-sized spots along the lateral line. Larger fish have a red-brown stripe along the lateral line that appears as dark slashed between the pale spots. Their dorsal fin has a dark margin and a conspicuous black area at the rear. The head and snout are dark with white dashes and dots. Their pore heads are dark spots. Their head is broad and flattened that is triangular dorsally, their snout is broad and overhanging. They have large eyes that are found over the large mouth that is equipped with small conical teeth. Their caudal fin is fleshy and end in a blunt point; the tail is 65% of the total length. Their dorsal fin origin is before the tips of the pointed pectoral fins and the rear part of the fin has short, erect spiny rays. They do not have pelvic fins. Their tail is fleshy and ends in a blunt point; it is 64% to 66% of total length. They have a complete lateral line.

The Palespotted Eel is a demersal species that is found on the continental shelf within muddy bottoms at depths up to 150 m (492 feet). They reach a maximum of 81 cm (2 feet 8 inches) in length. They are night-time predators that feed on small fishes and crustaceans that take shelter during daylight hours. Reproduction is oviparous. The Palespotted Eel is a poorly studied species and very little is known about their behavioral patterns.

The Palespotted Eel is found in both the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean and has been reported to be a resident of Mexican waters, but the specifics of its range have been poorly documented.

The Palespotted Eel is straightforward to identify but is similar to the Shrimp Eel, Ophichthus gomesii (uniform colored unspotted body).

From a conservation perspective, the Palespotted Eel is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are very abundant in some areas. They are of limited interest as they are known to contain ciguatera to most except to subsistence fishermen and are normally a catch and release.