Shrimp eel
species of fish
The shrimp eel (Ophichthus gomesii) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by Francis de Laporte de Castelnau in 1855. It is a common inshore species of eel usually found in the shallow Gulf of Mexico and the high-salinity bays where it inhabits muddy habitats.
Characteristics
The shrimp eel has an elongate body and snake-like shape characteristic of the eels. Individuals are colored brown to gray on their dorsal side with lighter coloration below. Their branchial region (ventral side behind the head) is swollen with a basket-like structure of over-lapping free rays (jugostegalia) underneath the skin but they are often visible through the skin. The tail is fleshy with no caudal or pelvic fins. The common length of an adult is 50 centimeters. The maximum length collected is 91.4 centimeters.
Shrimp eels can be distinguished from other eels by their lack of a caudal fin and external jugostegalia (basket-like structure of over-lapping free rays).
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This entry incorporates text from “Shrimp eel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.