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Echidna nebulosa (Ahl, 1789)

Starry moray
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Echidna nebulosa   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Echidna nebulosa (Starry moray)
Echidna nebulosa
Picture by Randall, J.E.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) > Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Echidna: Greek, echidna = viper, 1847 (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 48 m (Ref. 58302), usually ? - 10 m (Ref. 30404). Tropical; 32°N - 33°S, 27°E - 76°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (Ref. 33390) and Persian Gulf (Ref. 68964) to the Society Islands, north to southern Japan and the Hawaiian Islands, south to Lord Howe Island; throughout Micronesia. Eastern Central Pacific: southern Baja California, Mexico and from Costa Rica to northern Colombia (Ref. 9324). Also found in Southeast Atlantic.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 48635); common length : 50.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3258)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0; Vertebrae: 119 - 126. Body white with 2 rows of large dendritic black blotches; black spots between blotches become irregularly linear with age. Yellow eyes (Ref. 48635).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found between rocks and corals of intertidal reef flats, also in shallow lagoon and seaward reefs to depths of at least 10 m (Ref. 9710, 58302). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Nocturnal (Ref. 68964). Feed mainly on crustaceans. Protogynous hermaphroditism unconfirmed for this species (Ref. 84746). Safely kept with small aquarium fishes (Ref. 9710). Solitary, seen usually in the open or with only head exposed (Ref 90102). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 86942.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Protogyny unconfirmed (Ref. 84746).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Chen, H.-M., K.-T. Shao and C.T. Chen, 1994. A review of the muraenid eels (Family Muraenidae) from Taiwan with descriptions of twelve new records. Zool. Stud. 33(1):44-64. (Ref. 6934)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 16 August 2011

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
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Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
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References

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.9 - 29.3, mean 28.4 °C (based on 3674 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5005   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00034 (0.00022 - 0.00052), b=3.31 (3.19 - 3.43), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.71 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High vulnerability (60 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 27.5 [14.8, 48.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.421 [0.252, 0.924] mg/100g; Protein = 18.8 [16.5, 21.4] %; Omega3 = 0.102 [0.046, 0.288] g/100g; Selenium = 45.1 [24.8, 87.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 58.5 [17.3, 181.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.886 [0.630, 1.224] mg/100g (wet weight);