The yellow snake eel (Ophichthus zophochir, also known as the charmed snake eelCommon names of Ophichthus zophochir at www.fishbase.org.) is an eel in the family Ophichthidae.Ophichthus zophochir at www.fishbase.org. It was described by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert in 1882.Jordan, D. S. and C. H. Gilbert, 1882 (6 Apr.) [ref. 2470] Descriptions of thirty-three new species of fishes from Mazatlan, Mexico. Proceedings of the United States National Museum v. 4 (no. 237): 338-365. It is a marine, subtropical eel known from the eastern central and southeastern Pacific Ocean, including Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and the United States.Ophichthus zophochir at the IUCN redlist. It dwells at a depth range of , and forms burrows in rocky and sandy regions. Males can reach a maximum total length of , but more commonly reach a length of .
The species epithet zophochir, derived from the Greek term for "dark hand", refers to the dark colouring of the eel's pectoral fin. Its diet consists of bony fish and clams.Food items reported for Ophichthus zophochir at www.fishbase.org. Due to its wide distribution in the eastern Pacific, lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists the yellow snake-eel as Least Concern.
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