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Whiteface moray

Echidna leucotaenia

  • Fish
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth0–7 m
  • Water temperature23–30 °C
  • Best monthsJuly and August
  • How commonRare
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About this species

Echidna leucotaenia, the whiteface moray, also known as the white-banded moray eel, is a moray eel. 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, and leads a benthic lifestyle in reefs. Males can reach a maximum total length of 75 centimetres (30 in).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Echidna leucotaenia”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

  • January: 1 records
  • February: 0 records
  • March: 0 records
  • April: 3 records
  • May: 3 records
  • June: 3 records
  • July: 9 records
  • August: 7 records
  • September: 5 records
  • October: 4 records
  • November: 5 records
  • December: 0 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–7 m · Deepest record: 21.8 m

  • 0–10 m: 31 records
  • 10–20 m: 2 records
  • 20–30 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C

  • 22–24 °C: 1 records
  • 24–26 °C: 4 records
  • 26–28 °C: 13 records
  • 28–30 °C: 29 records

Names and classification

English
Whiteface moray, White-banded Moray Eel, whiteface moray, Whiteface Moray
Names in 1 more languages
French
Murène à face blanche

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

  • Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
  • Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
  • Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
  • 111 open-data records from 1939 to 2005.
  • Species data updated November 2, 2026.

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