The African spoon-nose eel (''Mystriophis rostellatus'', also known commonly as the west coast snake eel or simply snake eel,) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).''Mystriophis rostellatus''
at www.fishbase.org. It was described by John Richardson in 1848.Richardson, J., 1844-48 ef. 3740''Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror,... In: J. Richardson & J. E. Gray. The zoology of the voyage of H. H. S. "Erebus & Terror," under the command of Captain Sir J. C. Ross ... during ... 1839-43.'' London. v. 2 (2): i-viii + 1-139, Pls. 1-60. It is a tropical,

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

eel which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

and Namibia. It is known to dwell at an approximate depth of 40 metres, and inhabits lagoons and coastal waters. It leads a

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

lifestyle, burrowing into sand and mud. Males can reach a maximum total length of 140 centimetres, but more commonly reach a TL of 80 cm. The African spoon-nose eel feeds primarily off of small

finfish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of liv ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

s and

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s.Food items reported for ''Mystriophis rostellatus''
at www.fishbase.org. It is of minor commercial interest to

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

References

Ophichthidae Fish described in 1848 {{Ophichthidae-stub