| Channomuraena vittata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Muraenidae |
| Genus: | Channomuraena |
| Species: | C. vittata |
| Binomial name | |
| Channomuraena vittata (J. Richardson, 1845) | |
Channomuraena vittata is a rare species of moray eel from the Anguiliformes order found in reefs. It is commonly known as the broadbanded moray, banded moray, Chinese moray, double-ended moray, or the long-jawed moray.
The broadbanded moray is a large, thick, muscular moray that can grow up to 150 cm in length, although its common length is 80 cm. The fins are confined to the posterior part of the tail, which is short and lacks pectoral and pelvic fins. It has no scales and produces a mucus over its thick skin. It has rather small eyes positioned at the end of the short snout. It has numerous and short, sharp teeth inserted into a large and profound jaw that extends back into the head. In addition, there is a second jaw, the pharyngeal jaw located further down the throat, used to capture and transport the prey into the throat. It possesses a posterior nostril in short tube. It has gills positioned far back behind the head. Its anus is located at the posterior third of the total length of its body.
The distinctive features are the small cranium, the anterior position of the eyes, an enlarged lower jaw that projects beyond upper jaw and 13 to 16 dark bars or bands throughout the body.
Only native cases have been found, no invasive species.
Atlantic Ocean: Ascension Island, the Cape Verde Islands, Annobon Island, and Sao Tome Island, Bermuda, the Bahamas, in the Gulf of Mexico from northwestern Cuba, in the Caribbean from Mona Island, Puerto Rico to St. Vincent, Colombia, Curaçao to Margarita Island, St. Paul's Rocks and Brazil (Bahia).
In the Indo-pacific: Reunion and Mauritius and Christmas Island, Palau, and the Hawaiian Islands, Kiribati Island, Palmyra Island, Micronesia (Pohnpei), Indonesia (Bali).
Habitat: Subtidal rocks, rocky reefs and coral reefs. It is an uncommon bottom dwelling species. Uniquely snake-like in appearance and behavior, it is a benthic and solitary species mostly found in outer reef slopes under ledges and in holes. It is secretive and nocturnal.
Depth range: 5 – 100 meters, but usually around 40 meters of depth.
Being a relatively newly discovered species, its feeding habits are still unknown.
Moray eels are known to have very long migrations for spawning in open waters, where the eggs are then fertilized by the male outside of the female's body, yet the spawning rituals specific for the broadbanded moray are still unknown, as they are hard to capture.
This species is captured occasionally and consumed in local fisheries. It is also known to be sought for aquarium fish trade.
There are currently no major threats to this species apart from the occasional impact from local fisheries and the aquarium trade.
There are no species-specific conservation measures.
According to the IUCN Red List Status, it is classified as Least Concern.
Moray eels, or Muraenidae, are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are found in fresh water.
The spotted moray is a medium to large moray eel. Other common names include conger, spotted eel, red moray, speckled moray, white cong, white jawed moray, white-chinned moray and white-jawed moray eel. Spotted eels have a long snake-like body, white or pale yellow in general with small overlapping reddish brown to dark-brown spots. They are commonly 60 cm (24 in) in length and can grow up to 2 m (6.6 ft), weighing 2.51 kg (5.5 lb). They inhabit the Western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. They are also found around the Mid- and Eastern Atlantic islands as far south as St Helena. They are typically found anywhere from the surface to a depth of 200 m (660 ft).
The ribbon eel, also known as the leaf-nosed moray eel or bernis eel, is a species of moray eel, the only member of the genus Rhinomuraena. What is now known as R. quaesita also includes the former R. amboinensis. R. quaesita was used for blue ribbon eels and R. amboinensis for black ribbon eels, but these are now recognized as the same species. The ribbon eel is found in lagoons and reefs in the Indo-Pacific ocean, ranging from East Africa to southern Japan, Australia and French Polynesia. This species is widely distributed and is frequently seen by divers in Indonesian waters with their heads and anterior bodies protruding from crevices in sand and rubble habitats from very shallow to about 60 m (200 ft). Although generally placed in the moray eel family Muraenidae, it has several distinctive features leading some to place it in its own family, Rhinomuraenidae.
Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.
The Kidako moray is a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. It inhabits coral reefs or lagoons and could be found in tropical and subtropical seas near Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. The species is diurnal, which means it is more active in the daytime than the nighttime. It is also piscivorous: it consumes fish, octopus, and squid. Other than the Kidako moray, there are about 200 species of moray eels in the Muraenidae family. The Kidako moray would not attack humans unless they are provoked. However, due to the menacing looks of the Kidako moray and moray eels in general, they are feared by divers and snorkelers.
The California moray is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific from just north of Santa Barbara to Santa Maria Bay in Baja California. They are the only species of moray eel found off California, and one of the few examples of a subtropical moray. They typically occupy boulder or cobble habitats up to 40 m in depth. They can attain lengths of about 5 ft (1.52 m) and are believed to live for upwards of 22–26 years. Like other morays, they have no pelvic or pectoral fins or gill covers.
The yellow-edged moray, also known as yellow-margin(ed) moray, leopard moray, and speckled moray, is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific Oceans at depths to 150 m (500 ft).
The barred moray, also known as the banded moray, the dark-banded eel, the girdled moray, the girdled reef eel, the many banded moray eel, the ringed moray, the ringed reef moray, the striped moray and the zebra eel,) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae. It was described by John Richardson in 1845, originally under the genus Muraena. It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Hawaiian Islands, the Marquesan Islands, the Tuamotus Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. It dwells at a depth range of 2 to 20 metres, and leads a benthic lifestyle in reefs and shallow lagoons. Males can reach a maximum total length of 72.3 centimetres (28.5 in).
The snowflake moray, also known as the clouded moray among many vernacular names, is a species of marine eel of the family Muraenidae. It has blunt teeth ideal for its diet of crustaceans, a trait it shares with the zebra moray.
The undulated moray is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the Indo-Pacific and east-central Pacific Ocean at depths down to 30 m. Their length is up to 1.5 m.
The fangtooth moray sometimes also known as tiger moray or bird-eye conger is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae found in warmer parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Canary Islands, Madeira and various other islands. It entered the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic and is now found occasionally in the eastern Basin, from Levantine waters and off Turkey, Greece, Croatia and Sicily.
The Mediterranean moray, also known as Roman eel, is a species of fish in the moray eel family. It has a long eel-like body and is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Its bite can be dangerous to humans.
Cephalopholis argus, the peacock hind, roi, bluespotted grouper, and celestial grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a member of the subfamily Epinephelinae, the groupers, and part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They come from the Indo-Pacific which is variously a commercial gamefish, an invasive species, and occasionally an aquarium resident. Its species name comes from its resemblance to the "hundred staring eyes" of the monster Argus who had a hundred eyes and was the shepherd of the goddess Hera in Greek mythology.
Cephalopholis fulva, the coney or the butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Gymnothorax miliaris, the goldentail moray, bastard eel, or conger moray, is a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae.
Echidna catenata, commonly known as the chain moray, is a moray eel found in shallow parts of the western Atlantic Ocean and from islands elsewhere in the Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a maximum length of 165 cm (65 in) but a more common length is about 40 cm (16 in).
Scuticaria okinawae is a moray eel found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is commonly known as the shorttailed snake moray, shorttail moray, Seale's moray eel, or the Bennett's moray.
Castle's moray is a moray eel found in coral reefs in the western central Pacific Ocean. It was first named by E.B. Böhlke and J.E. Randall in 1999.
Gymnothorax polyspondylus is a moray eel found in the eastern central Pacific, around Hawaii. It was first named by E.B. Böhlke and J.E. Randall in 2000, and is commonly known as the manyvertebrae moray.
Gymnothorax polyuranodon, commonly known as the freshwater moray, is a species of moray eel that is native to the Indo-Pacific region, including Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the northern coastline of Australia, and various islands in the western Pacific. Other common names include the many-toothed moray, spotted freshwater moray, blackspotted moray, freshwater leopard moray, and freshwater tiger moray.
Böhlke, E.B., McCosker, J.E. and Böhlke, J.E. 1989. Family Muraenidae.
Böhlke, E.B. and McCosker, J.E. 1997. Review of the moray eel genus Scuticaria and included species
https://churaumi.okinawa/en/fishbook/1459836498/
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/190071/78938337
https://www.fishbase.de/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1097&lang=english
