Echiophis punctifer, the stippled spoon-nose eel, spoon-nose eel or snapper eel, is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). 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 , and inhabits shallow bays and lagoons, in which it forms burrows in mud and sand. Males can reach a maximum total length of , but more commonly reach a TL of .

The species epithet "punctifer", treated as a name in apposition, means "dotted" in Latin, and refers to the eel's colouration.

Echiophis punctifer

The eel is pinkish in color and has small dots, similar to leopard print.

Echiophis punctifer

References

Ophichthidae

Fish described in 1859

Echiophis punctifer