Snowflake moray

Snowflake moray
Snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Muraenidae
Genus: Echidna
Species:
E. nebulosa
Binomial name
Echidna nebulosa
(J. N. Ahl, 1789)
Synonyms[2]
  • Echidna variegata Forster, 1848
  • Gymnothorax boschi ( Bleeker, 1853)
  • Gymnothorax boschii (Bleeker, 1853)
  • Lycodontis boschi (Bleeker, 1853)
  • Muraena boschii Bleeker, 1853
  • Muraena nebulosa Ahl, 1789
  • Muraena ophis Rüppell, 1830
  • Poecilophis nebulosa (Ahl, 1789)

The snowflake moray (Echidna nebulosa), also known as the clouded moray among many vernacular names, is a species of marine eel of the family Muraenidae.[3] It has blunt teeth ideal for its diet of crustaceans, a trait it shares with the zebra moray (Gymnomuraena zebra).[4]

Its Hawaiian name is puhi-kapa,[5][6] which originates from King Kamehameha I’s nickname.[5] The genus name is derived from the Greek word echidna meaning "viper", and the species name, nebulosa, originates from the Latin word nebulosus meaning "misty" or "cloudy".[5]

It is widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific area from the eastern coast of Africa throughout Micronesia including the Red Sea and to Hawaii.[7][8] The species is also found in the eastern Central Pacific from southern Baja California, Mexico, and from Costa Rica to northern Colombia.[9]

This species reaches a length of 100 centimetres (39 in) but its common size is 50 centimetres (20 in). They live at depths ranging from 1 and 48 meters.[7]

  1. ^ Smith, D.G.; McCosker, J.; Tighe, K. (2019). "Echidna nebulosa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T195683A2401897. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T195683A2401897.en.
  2. ^ Nicolas Bailly (2013). Bailly N (ed.). "Echidna nebulosa (Ahl, 1789)". FishBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  3. ^ "Common Names List - Echidna nebulosa".
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Hoover, John P. (2003). Hawaii's Fishes: A Guide for Snorkelers Divers and Aquarists. Honolulu, Hawaii: Mutual Publishing. pp. 50–51. ISBN 1-56647-001-3.
  6. ^ Randall, John E. (2010). Shore Fishes of Hawai'i (Revised ed.). University of Hawai'i Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8248-3427-2.
  7. ^ a b "Echidna nebulosa, Starry moray : Fisheries, aquarium".
  8. ^ Böhlke, Eugenia B.; Randall, John E. (2000). "A Review of the Moray eels (Angulliformes: Muraenidae) of the Hawaiian Islands, with Descriptions of Two New Species". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 150: 203–278. ISSN 0097-3157. JSTOR 4065071.
  9. ^ McCosker, J.E. and R.H. Rosenblatt, 1995. Muraenidae. Morenas. p. 1303–1315. In Fischer, F. Krupp, W. Schneider, C. Sommer, K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) Guia FAO para Identification de Especies para lo Fines de la Pesca. Pacifico Centro-Oriental. 3 Vols. FAO, Rome.