Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Uropterygiinae
Etymology: Scuticaria: Latin, scutum = shield (Ref. 45335).
Issue
Genus and date B. Mundy, pers. comm.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 25 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical; 28°N - 18°S
Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Society Islands, north to the Philippines, Taiwan (Ref. 6934), and the Hawaiian Islands. Eastern Central Pacific: Mexico (including the Revillagigedo Islands), Costa Rica, and Panama (Ref. 9324).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 140 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 89972)
Vertebrae: 166 - 174. Yellowish to russet brown, with yellow-edged black spots (Ref. 3257). Rounded snout and jaw speckled with black (Ref. 3257, 48635). Greatly reduced fin (Ref. 37816).
Body shape (shape guide): eel-like; Cross section: oval.
Inhabits lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602). Found on sand and between rocks (Ref. 9324). Extremely secretive. Usually only seen at night (Ref. 48635). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 86942.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Fricke, R., 1999. Fishes of the Mascarene Islands (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez): an annotated checklist, with descriptions of new species. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Theses Zoologicae, Vol. 31:759 p. (Ref. 33390)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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