Leopard eel

For the aquatic salamander, see Siren reticulata.

The leopard eel (Myrichthys pardalis) is an eel in the worm or snake eels family, Ophichthidae.^[3][4] It was described by Achille Valenciennes in 1839, originally under the genus Ophisurus.^[5]

Leopard eel
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Genus:	Myrichthys
Species:	M. pardialis
Binomial name
Myrichthys pardialis (Valenciennes, 1839)
Synonyms[2]
Ophisurus pardalis Valenciennes, 1839 Ophichthys pardalis (Valenciennes, 1839) Myrichthys perdalis (Valenciennes, 1839)

Male leopard eels can reach a maximum total length of 64.8 cm (25.5 in).^[4] It is of minor commercial interest to fisheries.^[4]

It is a marine, tropical eel, which is known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Canary Islands, Annobón Island, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé Island. It forms burrows in coarse sand sediments on rocky island coasts. The species is also found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

The leopard eel's diet consists of benthic invertebrates.^[6]