Pale Snipe Eel

Nemichthys larseni

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth24–1,763 m
Water temperature11–26 °C
Best monthsMarch and October
How commonRare

About this species

Nemichthys larseni is an eel in the family Nemichthyidae. It was described by Jørgen G. Nielsen and David G. Smith in 1978. It is a marine, deep water-dwelling eel which is known from the eastern Pacific Ocean, including Oregon and Hawaii, USA, Mexico, and the Gulf of California. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 1,000 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of 161 centimetres (63 in).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Nemichthys larseni”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 0 records
February: 0 records
March: 4 records
April: 0 records
May: 1 records
June: 0 records
July: 1 records
August: 2 records
September: 3 records
October: 6 records
November: 0 records
December: 1 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 24–1,763 m · Deepest record: 1,763 m

0–10 m: 1 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110+ m: 13 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 11–26 °C

10–12 °C: 8 records
12–14 °C: 1 records
14–16 °C: 3 records
16–18 °C: 2 records
18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 5 records

Names and classification

English: Pale Snipe Eel

Names in 1 more languages

Spanish: tijera

Similar species

Slender snipe eel
Nemichthys scolopaceus
Boxer Snipe Eel
Nemichthys curvirostris
Avocet snipe eel
Avocettina infans
Manypore Snipe Eel
Avocettina acuticeps
Lowcount Snipe Eel
Avocettina paucipora
Keelnose Snipe Eel
Labichthys carinatus

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
63 open-data records from 1962 to 2006.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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