Chain Moray, Echidna catenata
Chain Moray, Echidna catenata. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.
Chain Moray, Echidna catenata. Underwater photographs taken with coastal waters off Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, March 2021. Photographs and identification courtesy of Marina Sutormina, Stockholm, Sweden.
The Chain Moray, Echidna catenata, is a member of the Moray and Snake Moray Eels or Muraenidae Family, that is also known as the Little Banded Eel and in Mexico as morena cadena. Globally, there are eleven species in the genus Echidna, of which three are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific Ocean.
The Chain Moray has an elongated thick body that tapers gradually toward the tail. They are dark brown to black in color with asymmetrical, right yellow, interconnecting, chain-like patterns. Their eyes are yellow. Their head is short with a steep profile and has a short, rounded snout with the eyes above the mid-jaw. Their mouth has strong jaws for crushing prey and is equipped with pointed blunt teeth. The anal, caudal and dorsal fins are continuous. The tail is 60% of total body length. They do not have pectoral or pelvic fins. They are scaleless and covered with thick layer of clear mucus.
The Chain Moray is a demersal species normally found as solitary individuals in shallow coral reef habitat, rocky shores and sand within tidal pools and at depths up to 15 m (50 feet). They reach a maximum of 71 cm (2 feet 4 inches) in length. A nocturnal predator that utilizes a rotational feeding pattern, knotting, wrapping itself around prey and crushing it until it succumbs. They are carnivores that feeds primarily at night as either a lie-in-wait ambush predatory or as a stalker utilizing a keen sense of smell and rotational feeding or “knotting” that tears their prey into pieces. They feed on crustaceans including crabs, octopus, shrimp and worms and small fish. During daylight hours they take shelter within the reef with only their heads protruding. They have the ability to survive out of water for 30 minutes. Reproduction is not well understood but is believed to be oviparous with pelagic eggs and larvae that are dispersed widely. The Chain Moray is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Chain Moray is a resident of Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean but has a limited distribution being found only along the east coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the State of Veracruz and along the east coast of the Yucatán in the Caribbean.
The Chain Moray cannot be confused with any other species due to its coloration and facial markings.
From a conservation perspective the Chain Moray is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are utilized for human food on a limited basis and by the aquarium trade. Due to their shallow water habitat they are encountered by divers but are shy cave dwellers and make a hasty retreat. They will only attack humans if provoked.