King snake eel

The king snake eel^[1] (Ophichthus rex) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels).^[2] It was described by James Erwin Böhlke and John H. Caruso in 1980.^[3] It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from Florida to Texas, USA, in the northern Gulf of Mexico in the western Atlantic Ocean. It dwells at a depth range of 15 to 365 meters (49 to 1,198 ft), and inhabits offshore waters. Males can reach a maximum total length of 211 centimeters (83 in); the maximum recorded weight is 23.6 kilograms (52 lb).^[2] caught by Patrick Lemire on the Texsun II out of Galveston, Texas in 1997.

King snake eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Ophichthidae
Genus:	Ophichthus
Species:	O. rex
Binomial name
Ophichthus rex J. E. Böhlke & J. H. Caruso, 1980

The King snake eel is often caught near oil platforms by anglers.^[2]