Myrophis punctatus
Lütken 1852
Family Ophichthidae
![A live and preserved speckled worm eel](https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2020/02/Plate-19-scaled.jpg)
Speckled worm eels are members of the snake eel family, and are known for their overhanging upper jaws. These eels have basket-like branchial chambers and posterior nostrils in their upper lip margins. They’re speckled brown, with the darkest speckling across their backs. Speckled worm eels frequently enter rivers and are usually found burrowed in soft mud or sandy substrate.
Status & distribution
- Status — Marine invader
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central drainages, the Gulf Coast, South Florida and the Atlantic Coast