Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Echidna nebulosa

Tū‘ua

Snowflake Moray

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult	60KB
Image:	Adult - dead; full body	44KB
Image:	Adult - head only	53KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Snowflake Moray, Starry Moray, Clouded Reef-Eel; German Sternflecken-Muräne; French Murène à Flammes, Murène Étoilée

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tū‘ua (RR MK AK), Kerekere Parākava (MG), Pu‘i Kōpitipiti (AT), Pu‘i Kutekute (MT), Pusi Sina (TS TW), Kalou (PK); Other Polynesian - Puhi (TAH); COMMENT: [tough and bony flesh]

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Societies, Hawai‘i - tropical America; n. to s.Japan; s. to Lord Howe

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; A moray often seen in shallow water during the day. It has flat, grinding teeth. PLUS: ; Marine, near-shore, reef-flat

KEY FEATURES: To 75cm TL.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	P				+++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			P

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Echidna nebulosa (Ahl, 1789)
SYNONYMS: Muraena nebulosa [O]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); PISCES; OSTEICHTHYES; Anguilliformes; Muraenoidei; MURAENIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: All members of this genus have flat teeth fro grinding and crushing rather for shredding.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: Muri field ID GMc 1990s. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004.

References:
text p.41 Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
plate 9a Myers (1991 2nd Ed.) Fishes of Micronesia
p.34 Randall et al. (1990) Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef....
p.59 Burgess et al. (1988) Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes (TFH)
plate 5-01 Lieske & Myers (1996) Coral Reef Fishes
plate 7-01 Allen (1997) Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia....
Species No. 135 Munro (1967) Fishes of New Guinea

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List