White-spotted snake eel
| White-spotted snake eel | ||||||||||||
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White-spotted snake eel ( Myrichthys breviceps ) |
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| Myrichthys breviceps | ||||||||||||
| ( Richardson , 1848) |
The Weißgefleckte or pointed tail snake eel ( Myrichthys breviceps ) lives in the tropical western Atlantic , on the shores of Bermuda , the Bahamas , South florida , Yucatan , the Antilles and northern South America . The fish prefer shelf areas on continental coasts and stay mainly in seagrass meadows , over sandy areas between coral reefs , but also in port facilities, mostly in very shallow water from one to nine meters deep. In the greater part of the distribution area they are rather rare and only common locally.
features
White-spotted snake eels grow to a meter long. They are gray in color and covered in large light, whitish to yellow spots. The top of the body is a little darker. As with all snake eels, the nostrils are drawn out into short tubes. White-spotted snake eels are often seen by tourists from the shore and mistaken for sea snakes .
nutrition
White-spotted snake eels feed primarily on crustaceans . Investigations revealed a proportion of crabs of 86%, and seven percent of the food consumed consisted of mantis shrimp and sea urchins . The animals usually go in search of food at dusk and rummage through small holes and crevices for their prey on the sea floor. They are often accompanied by larger predatory fish such as snappers and jacks , which catch fleeing fish.
literature
- Hans A. Baensch / Robert A. Patzner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 6 Non-Perciformes (Non-Perciformes) , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-116-X
- Ewald Lieske / Robert F. Myers: Coral fish of the world , 1994, year publisher, ISBN 3-86132-112-2
- Maren Baumeister / Werner Baumeister: Marine fauna, Caribbean and Florida . Ulmer Verlag, ISBN 3-8001-4164-7
Web links
- White-Spotted Snake Eel on Fishbase.org (English)