Painted eel

The Painted eel[2] (Echelus myrus) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[3] It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, originally under the genus Muraena.[4] It is a marine, subtropical eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Bay of Biscay, the Republic of Congo, and the Mediterranean. It dwells at a depth range of 3 to 12 metres (9.8 to 39.4 ft), and inhabits burrows formed in sand and mud sediments in coastal lagoons and estuaries. Males can reach a maximum total length of 100 centimetres (39 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 60 centimetres (24 in).[3]

Painted eel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Ophichthidae
Genus: Echelus
Species:
E. myrus
Binomial name
Echelus myrus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms[1]
  • Muraena myrus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Echelus punctatus Rafinesque, 1810
  • Muraena longicollis Cuvier, 1816
  • Muraena vulgaris Kaup, 1856
  • Myrus vulgaris (Kaup, 1856)

The Painted eel is of minor commercial interest to fisheries.[3] It has been recorded spawning in the Bay of Algiers during the months of August and September.[5]

References
  1. Synonyms of Echelus myrus at www.fishbase.org.
  2. Common names of Echelus myrus at www.fishbase.org.
  3. Echelus myrus at www.fishbase.org.
  4. Linnaeus, C., 1758 (1 Jan.) [ref. 2787] Systema Naturae, Ed. X. (Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata.) Holmiae. v. 1: i-ii + 1-824.
  5. Spawning for Echelus myrus at www.fishbase.org.
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