First record of Ophichthus rufus (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae) off the western Iberian coast: The northernmost occurrence in the eastern Atlantic

Abstract

The first record of Ophichthus rufus (Rafinesque, 1810) in Portuguese continental waters is reported. In February 2013 two specimens were caught by a commercial bottom trawler on the southwestern Portuguese coast and in August 2019 another specimen was caught at the same location. Analyses of diagnostic morphological characters and morphometric characteristics confirmed the specimens as Ophichthus rufus. The distribution of this species has been described in the literature as endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, however other references describe the presence of O. rufus in Principe Island, Morocco, and Gulf of Cádiz. The new finding described herewith represents the first record of O. rufus for the western Iberian coast and also constitutes the northernmost record of the species.

Keywords

• Rufus snake eel
• Ophichthus rufus
• new record
• Nor