whiteface moray
Echidna leucotaenia Schultz, 1943
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
Echidna leucotaenia, the whiteface moray, also known as the white-banded moray eel, is a moray eel (family Muraenidae). It was described by Schultz in 1943. It is a tropical, marine and freshwater eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including East Africa, the Line Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, and Johnston Island. It dwells at a depth range of 0 to 24 metres (0 to 79 ft), and leads a benthic lifestyle in reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 75 centimetres (30 in).
The whiteface moray's diet consists primarily of crabs.
Wikipedia contributors, Echidna leucotaenia; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:12:13.285220+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Echidna leucotaenia Schultz, 1943
- Name authority
- Schultz, 1943
- Common name
- whiteface moray
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Anguilliformes
- Family
- Muraenidae
- Genus
- Echidna
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · 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
- genusEchidna Forster, 1788
- speciesEchidna leucotaenia Schultz, 1943
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Echidna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Echidna unicolor Schultz, 1953 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| snowflake morayEchidna nebulosa (Ahl, 1789) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echidna peli (Kaup, 1856) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| palenose morayEchidna nocturna (Cope, 1872) | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echidna rhodochilus Bleeker, 1863 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echidna sagamiensis Fujita, Oomori, Senou & Wada, 2026 | MuraenidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Echidna xanthospilos (Bleeker, 1859) | MuraenidaeChordata | 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, & P, L. (1943). Fishes of the Phoenix and Samoan islands collected in 1939 during the expedition of the U. S. S. “Bushnell.”. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, No. 180: i–x + 1–316, Pls. 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.180.i 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:6DVQG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.