Kaupichthys brachychirus Schultz, 1953
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The shortfin false moray (Kaupichthys brachychirus) is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Leonard Peter Schultz in 1953. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from American Samoa, Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Wallis and Futuna. It typically dwells in seaward and lagoon coral reefs at an approximate depth of 43 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 13 centimetres (5.1 in).
The shortfin false moray exhibits biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated by blue or ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as green, and appears differently than under white light illumination. Biofluorescence may assist in intraspecific communication and camouflage.
Owing to its wide distribution, and lack of knowledge of threats or observed population declines, the IUCN Redlist currently lists the shortfin false moray as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Shortfin false moray; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:56:05.762147+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Kaupichthys brachychirus Schultz, 1953
- Name authority
- Schultz, 1953
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Chlopsidae
- Genus
- Kaupichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderAnguilliformes
- familyChlopsidae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusKaupichthys Schultz, 1943
- speciesKaupichthys brachychirus Schultz, 1953
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Kaupichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Kaupichthys diodontus Schultz, 1943 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| false morayKaupichthys hyoproroides (Strömman, 1896) | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| collared eelKaupichthys nuchalis Böhlke, 1967 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaupichthys atronasus Schultz, 1953 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Kaupichthys japonicus Matsubara & Asano, 1960 | ChlopsidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Schultz, L. P., Herald, E. S., Lachner, E. A., Welander, A. D., & Woods, L. P. (1953). Fishes of the Marshall and Marianas islands. Vol. I. Families from Asymmetrontidae through Siganidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 202, v. 1: i–xxxii + 1–685, Pls. 1–74. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.202.1 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3R42P. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.