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Species: Echidna nebulosa, Snowflake moray, Starry moray

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eye & front nostril yellow
white + 2 rows dark blotches & yellow spots

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Echidna nebulosa (Ahl, 1789)

Starry moray, Snowflake moray

Snout short and jaws short, broad; front nostril tubular, rear one a small hole above front of eye; no canine teeth;  molar-like teeth on roof of mouth, short stout conical teeth at front of jaws; side of jaws with 1-2 rows of small close-set compressed nodular teeth; length of tail very slightly greater than ½ TL; gill opening a small slit at mid-flank; dorsal and anal fins skin covered, but evident; dorsal origin before gill opening,  anal origin immediately after anus; tip of tail blunt, with a skin-covered fin; lateral line pores absent except for 2  pores above and before gill opening.

White, with two rows of dendritic black blotches containing small yellow spots, these blotches sometimes forming more or less complete bars on head region; numerous small black spots between large blotches; front nostrils yellow.

Size: to 80 cm.

Habitat: rocky and rubble bottoms.

Depth: 1-30 m.

Widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Americas; the   Gulf of California to the Galapagos.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
  • Bottom only
Habitat
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
  • Mangrove
  • Reef and soft bottom
  • Estuary
  • Rocks
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Mud
  • Sand & gravel
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Corals
FishBase Habitat
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
  • Data
Egg Type
  • No data
  • Pelagic larva
  • Pelagic
Global Endemism
  • All Pacific (West + Central + East)
  • TEP non-endemic
  • "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
  • All species
  • Indo-Pacific only (Indian + Pacific Oceans)
Regional Endemism
  • Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
  • All species
  • Eastern Pacific non-endemic
  • Continent
  • Island (s)
  • Continent + Island (s)
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
  • Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
  • Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
IUCN Red List
  • Not evaluated / Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 80
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 30