Star spotted moray
| Star spotted moray | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Star spotted moray ( Echidna nebulosa ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Echidna nebulosa | ||||||||||||
| ( Ahl , 1789) |
The Snowflake Moray Eel ( Echidna nebulosa ) or Sternmuräne is a strikingly colored kind of eels (Muraenidae). It lives in the Red Sea and in the entire tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to Hawaii , north to southern Japan and south to Lord Howe Island . In the eastern Pacific they occur from southern Baja California to northern Colombia . Star spotted morays are found mainly in shallow lagoons, in outer reefs and on reef roofs. There they occasionally leave the water to get from one tide pool to another.
features
Star spotted morays are up to 75 centimeters long. They are drawn with wide, irregular white and black stripes. The black stripes can be interrupted on the sides. Above this pattern are small yellow spots that gave rise to the German name of the animals. The eyes are yellow. There are no external sex differences, but the teeth of males are more pointed than those of females. Star spotted morays have 121 to 123 vertebrae .
Way of life
Star spotted morays live in shallow rock and coral reefs , in lagoons and other shallow water areas down to depths of 10 to 15 meters. They feed mainly on crustaceans , including defensive mantis shrimp . To crabs to capture, Sternfleckenmuränen also leave the water. Star spotted morays change sex in the course of their life. After reaching sexual maturity, they are initially female and transform into males with age. The teeth and the diet also change. The males' teeth are longer and have sawn edges, making them more suitable for fishing. The reproductive biology of moray eels is unknown.
The star spotted moray is the most commonly imported moray eel for aquarium use.
literature
- Dieter Eichler, Robert F. Myers: Korallenfische Indopazifik , Jahr-Verlag GmbH & Co., 1997, ISBN 3-86132-225-0
- Ewald Lieske, Robert F. Myers: Coral fish of the world . Year Top Special Verlag Hamburg, 1994, ISBN 3-86132-112-2
- Hans A. Baensch / Robert A. Patzner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 6 Non-Perciformes (Non-Perciformes) , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, 1998, ISBN 3-88244-116-X
- Marco Lichtenberger: Moray eels in the seawater aquarium. Natur und Tier Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-86659-081-6
Web links
- Star-spotted moray on Fishbase.org (English)