Muraena augusti
| Muraena augusti | ||||||||||||
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A Muraena augusti has its teeth brushed by an Atlantic white banded cleaner shrimp . |
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| Muraena augusti | ||||||||||||
| ( Kaup , 1856) |
Muraena augusti (also Prince August moray or black moray eel ) is a moray eel thatlivesin subtropical regions of the north-eastern central Atlantic. Some authorsregardit as conspecific with the Mediterranean moray eel ( Muraena helena ), but morphological and molecular genetic studies indicate its status as a distinct species.
features
Muraena augusti reach lengths of about one meter and a weight of up to 1.7 kilograms. They are purple-black with small, widely spaced light spots on the body and fins, and conspicuously white eyes. It differs from the Mediterranean moray eel in addition to its coloration by a slightly longer snout and a smaller number of vertebrae .
distribution
The species is endemic to the islands of Macaronesia .
Way of life
Muraena augusti colonizes rocky and stony sea beds from the coast up to a depth of 250 meters, but mainly up to 50 meters water depth. It is territorial and nocturnal. The breeding season in the Canary Islands is between May and October with August as the peak. Sexual maturity is reached at around five years and 56 centimeters in length.
literature
- S. Jiménez, S. Schönhuth, IJ Lozano, JA González, RG Sevilla, A. Diez, and JM Bautista: Morphological, Ecological, and Molecular Analyzes Separate Muraena augusti from Muraena helena as a Valid Species . In: Copeia . No. 1 , 2007, p. 101-113 (English).
Web links
- Muraena augusti on Fishbase.org (English)