Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body elongated, eel-like, almost cylindrical. Head conical with a slightly prominent snout. Anterior nostril in form of a tube directed downward; posterior nostril opening under the eye, covered by a flap. Teeth molariform multiseriate on jaws and vomer. Dorsal and anal fins well developed, ending before a short caudal segment of the body which is naked and hardened. Short pectoral fin with 10-11 rays, immediately behind a small lunate gill opening. Ten to twelve prepectoral pores and 53-59 preanal pores. Caudal fin absent. 155-162 vertebrae. color : yellowish with 15-18 saddle-like dark patches which cover about ¾ of the sides, the first on head and the second over the pectoral fin; other small black patches on the head. size : to 65 cm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Muraenidae, Heterenchelyidae, Xenocongridae, Nettastomatidae: no pectoral fin. Congridae and Muraenesocidae: body colour uniform. Apterichthus spp., Dalophis imberbis: no pectoral fin. Echelus myrus, Ophichthus rufus, Ophisurus serpens: body colour uniform. Ophichthus ophis: sharp pointed teeth. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Burrowing in sandy or muddy bottom in shallow waters (10 - 30 m); feeds on molluscs, crustaceans and other benthic invertebrates. habitat : sandy shore or muddy bottom.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Algerian coast, 1958. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Eastern Atlantic, from Gibraltar to Angola. Mediterranean : recorded first on Algerian coast (Dieuzeide and Roland, 1958). Successive records in the Gulf of Lions, France (Escoubet et al., 1981), Malta Channel (Insacco and Zava, 1999), Tunisian coast (Bradai, 2000), Strait of Sicily (Ragonese and Giusto, 2000) and Tyrrhenian Sea (Serena, 2001). More recently recorded in Livorno and in Catania (Italy), and in Mugla (Turkey). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare. speculated reasons for success : MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via Gibraltar. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Bilecenoglu M., Kaya M. and Eryigit A., 2009. New data on the occurrence of two alien fishes, Pisodonophis semicinctus and Pomadasys stridens, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Marine Science, 10(2): 151-155. Bodilis P., Chwminée A.,  Miniconi R., Arceo H. and Francour P., 2012. Occurrence of the Atlantic species, Pisodonophis semicinctus (Osteichthys: Ophichthidae), along the Mediterranean coast. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 28 (online). Bradai M.N., 2000. Diversité du peuplement ichtyque et contribution à la connaissance des Sparidés du golfe de Gabès. Thèse d'Etat. Faculté des Sciences de Sfax, 600pp. 21 p1. Dieuzeide R. and Roland J., 1958. Deuxième complément au catalogue des poissons des côtes algériennes. Bulletin des travaux publiés par la station d'aquaculture et de pêche de Castiglione, 9: 103-132. Escoubet P., Muriga P. and Pras A., 1981. Note sur la présence de Pisodonophis semicinctus (Richardson, 1848) sur les côtes françaises (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae). Cybium, 5:101-102.   Insacco G. and Zava B., 1999. First record of the Saddled snake eel Pisodonophis semicinctus (Richardson, 1848) in Italian waters (Osteichthyes, Ophichthidae). Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano, 140: 283-286. Ragonese S. and Giusto G.B., 2000. On a saddled snake eel Pisodonopus semicinctus (Osteichthyes: Ophichthidae) trawled in the Strait of Sicily (Mediterranean Sea). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 80: 951-952. Serena F., 2001. Ritrovamento di Pisodonophis semicinctus (Anguilliformes, Ophichthidae) nell'Alto tirreno. Biologia Marina Mediterranea, 8(1): 784-786. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2013 ©ciesm 2002