Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Ophichthidae (Snake eels) > Ophichthinae
Etymology: Dalophis: Greek, dalos, ou = torch, burning piece of wood + Greek, ophis = serpent (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bleeker.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; benthopelagic. Tropical
Eastern Atlantic: Liberia to Congo. Reported from the Casamance and Gambia River (Ref. 28587).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 53.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4455)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 0;
Anal
spines: 0;
Anal
soft rays: 0. Very similar to D. boulengeri. Dorsal origin very near behind gill slits (predorsal length 7.2-9.8% LT). Lateral line pores 73-80 before anus. Vertebrae: 184-191. Brown olive dorsal, whitish yellow ventral.
Burrows in sand or mud in shallow water near estuaries and in rivers (Ref. 4455).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Bauchot, M.-L., 1990. Ophichthyidae. p. 92-94. In C. Lévêque, D. Paugy and G. G. Teugels (eds.) Faune des poissons d'eaux douces et saumâtres de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. tome 1. Faune Trop. 28. (Ref. 2846)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 126983)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundanceBRUVS
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 23.7 - 28, mean 26.7 °C (based on 66 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00102 (0.00044 - 0.00239), b=2.97 (2.77 - 3.17), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).