Argus moray
Muraena argus (Steindachner, 1870)
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
Muraena argus, commonly known as the white-spotted moray, or the Argus moray, is a moray eel found in coral reefs from Mexico to Peru and around the Galápagos Islands. It was described by Franz Steindachner in 1870, originally under the genus Gymnothorax. It dwells at a depth range of 18 to 60 metres (59 to 197 ft). Males can reach a maximum total length of 120 centimetres (47 in), but more commonly reach a TL of 60 centimetres (24 in).
Due to its wide distribution, lack of known threats, and lack of observed population decline, the IUCN redlist currently lists M. argus as Least Concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Muraena argus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:53:49.827887+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Muraena argus (Steindachner, 1870)
- Name authority
- (Steindachner, 1870)
- Common name
- Argus moray
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Muraenidae
- Genus
- Muraena
- 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
- familyMuraenidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyMuraeninae Rafinesque, 1815
- genusMuraena Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesMuraena argus (Steindachner, 1870)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Muraena. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Muraena appendiculata (Guichenot, 1848) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Muraena augusti (Kaup, 1856) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| hourglass morayMuraena clepsydra Gilbert, 1898 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mediterranean morayMuraena helena Linnaeus, 1758 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Muraena melanotis (Kaup, 1859) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Muraena pavonina Richardson, 1845 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| jewel morayMuraena lentiginosa Jenyns, 1842 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| reticulate morayMuraena retifera Goode & Bean, 1882 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| stout morayMuraena robusta Osório, 1911 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Gymnothorax argus Steindachner, 1870 Steindachner, 1870 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=271896 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:44L26. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.