Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Ophichthinae
Etymology: Echelus: Greek, egchelys, -yos = eel (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 3 - 12 m (Ref. 2683). Subtropical; 45°N - 5°S, 19°W - 36°E
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3397); common length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26999)
Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay to Pointe Noire, Congo including the Mediterranean.
Found on mud and sand bottom of estuaries and coastal lagoons. Burrows in sand with only the head protruding (Ref. 2683).
Leiby, M., 1990. Ophichthidae. p. 176-192. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.6250 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00218 (-0.14187 - 0.14624), b=2.82 (2.74 - 2.91), based on LWR estimates for species & family-BS (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.7 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (49 of 100) .