Enchelycore carychroa
Chestnut Moray
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Anguilliformes (True Eels)
Muraenidae (Morays)
Enchelycore
Enchelycore carychroa (Chestnut Moray)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Relatively elongate, length is 11% to 15%, preanal length is 38% to 44%, depth at gill opening is 4.4% to 6.5%, and depth at anus is 3.6% to 6.8% of TL. Total vertebrae number 128 to 140, predorsal vertebrae number 7 to 11, and preanal vertebrae number 45 to 51. Snout is long and narrow. Jaws close only at tips. Anterior nostril is tubular, and posterior nostril is round or oval and located above anterior margin of eye, with slightly raised margin. Eye is large and centered at midpoint of jaws. Jaw teeth are conical, sharp, and prominent, with outer row of small, close-set teeth and inner row of large, depressible teeth. Intermaxillary teeth consist of outer ring of 11 to 17 small teeth and 3 to 5 inner, very long canines. Vomerine tooth patch is short and consists of small biserial teeth. Gill openings are small and slitlike and located at about midbody depth. Head pores are developed and consist of four infraorbital, three supraorbital, six mandibular, and two branchial. Snout is 16% to 21%, eye is 8.4% to 13%, and upper jaw is 37% to 50% of head length. Head length is 11% to 14%, predorsal length is not given as a separate measurement but is part of the overall body proportions.
Color is dark brown and gradually darker posteriorly. Corner of mouth, grooves in branchial region, margin of eye, and longitudinal lines on dorsal fin are blackish. Head pores are on white spots.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
In the Gulf of Mexico it inhabits the Flower Gardens Reefs.
Habitat Associations
Tropical Atlantic Ocean between the shoreline and 54 m.
Reefs, as specifically mentioned for the Flower Gardens Reefs in the Gulf of Mexico.
Biology
Maximum known size is 335 mm TL.
Males mature between 195 and 325 mm TL, and females mature between 169 and 296 mm TL.
Prefers rocky bottoms (Ref. 26340). Also found in and around coral reefs.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-08-16. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of potential interest.
References
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968 (as Enchelycore sp.)
Bohlke and Bohlke 1976
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
E. Bohlke et al. 1989
Smith, D.G. and E.B. Böhlke (1990) Muraenidae. p. 136-148. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Comments On Enchelycore carychroa