Echiophis punctifer, the stippled spoon-nose eel, spoon-nose eel or snapper eel,[1] is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).[2] It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1859. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, northern South America, Senegal, and Angola. It dwells at a depth range of 40mto100mm (130feetto300feetm), and inhabits shallow bays and lagoons, in which it forms burrows in mud and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of 180cm (70inches), but more commonly reach a TL of 100cm (00inches).[2]
The species epithet "punctifer", treated as a name in apposition, means "dotted" in Latin, and refers to the eel's colouration.[2]
The eel is pinkish in color and has small dots, similar to leopard print.