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).
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 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of potential interest
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.8 - 29.4, mean 28.1 °C (based on 1041 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00069 (0.00033 - 0.00146), b=3.12 (2.93 - 3.31), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).