Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Uropterygiinae
Etymology: Uropterygius: Greek, oura = tail + Greek pterygion = little wing. Fin (Ref. 45335); xenodontus: Specific name from the Greek 'xenikos' meaning strange and 'odontos' meaning tooth.
More on authors: McCosker & Smith.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 6 - 35 m (Ref. 27479). Tropical
Pacific Ocean: Coral Sea, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, and Johnston Islands.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 53.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 37816)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 154 - 157. Body uniformly gray-brown; laterally compressed, subrectangular in cross-section. Vertical fins restricted to the tail tip; anus at mid-body; one branchial pore (Ref. 27479).
Body shape (shape guide): eel-like; Cross section: compressed.
Inhabits corals and crevices of shallow lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 37816). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 86942.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
McCosker, J.E. and D.G. Smith, 1997. Two new Indo-Pacific morays of the genus Uropterygius (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Bull. Mar. Sci. 60(3):1005-1014. (Ref. 27479)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of potential interest
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