The black-pored snake-eel (Ophichthus melope) is a species of marine eel in the family Ophichthidae (worm/snake eels). It was described by John E. McCosker and Richard Heinrich Rosenblatt in 1998. The species epithet melope means "black cavity" in Greek, referring to the dark rings surrounding the head pores.
Distribution and habitat: The black-pored snake-eel is known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including waters off Colombia and Costa Rica. It is a marine, tropical species that dwells at a depth range of 100 to 224 metres (328 to 735 ft).
Physical description: Males can reach a maximum total length of 27 centimetres (11 in). The body is brown above and paler below, with irregular asymmetrical narrow pale bars. The head pores are surrounded by wide black rings, though the lateral line pores are not ringed. The front of the dorsal fin has a broad black margin, while the rest of the fin has a thin dark margin; the anal and pectoral fins are colorless.
Conservation status: Due to a lack of known threats and observed population decline, the IUCN Red List currently lists Ophichthus melope as Least Concern.
Note on similar species: A related but distinct species, the blackpored eel (Ophichthus melanoporus), is found in the western central Atlantic Ocean (including Florida, the Bahamas, and Mexico). It was described by Robert H. Kanazawa in 1963 and can reach a maximum total length of 70 centimetres. The IUCN Red List lists O. melanoporus as Data Deficient.
