# Chain moray
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chain_moray
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chain_moray.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_moray
> Source revision: 1314047624
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Chain moray eel.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = [{{cite iucn |author=Smith, D.G. |author2=McCosker, J. |author3=Tighe, K. |date=2015 |title=''Echidna catenata'' |volume=2015 |article-number=e.T195680A2401242 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T195680A2401242.en }}]
| taxon = Echidna catenata
| authority = ([Bloch](/source/Marcus_Elieser_Bloch), 1795)[{{cite WoRMS |author=Bailly, Nicolas |year=2013 |title=''Echidna catenata'' (Bloch, 1795) |id=278676 |accessdate=2014-05-11|db=}}]
| synonyms = *''Echida catenata'' (Bloch, 1795)
*''Echidna catenata flavofasciata'' Poey, 1867
*''Echidna flavofasciata'' Poey, 1867
*''Echidna fuscomaculata'' Poey, 1867
*''Gymnothorax catenatus'' Bloch, 1795
*''Muraena alusis'' Bleeker, 1856
*''Muraena catenata'' (Bloch, 1795)
*''Muraena sordida'' Cuvier, 1816
*''Muraenophis catenula'' Lacepède, 1803
*''Poecilophis catenatus'' (Bloch, 1795)
| synonyms_ref = [
}}
'''''Echidna catenata''''', commonly known as the '''chain moray''', is a [moray eel](/source/moray_eel) found in shallow parts of the western [Atlantic Ocean](/source/Atlantic_Ocean) and from islands elsewhere in the Atlantic. It occasionally makes its way into the [aquarium trade](/source/Fishkeeping). It grows to a maximum length of {{convert|165|cm|0|abbr=on}} but a more common length is about {{convert|40|cm|0|abbr=on}}.][{{cite web |url=http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Echidna-catenata.html |title=''Echidna catenata'' (Bloch, 1795) |author=Froese, Rainer |work=FishBase |access-date=2014-05-10 |archive-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925161826/https://www.fishbase.org/summary/Echidna-catenata.html |url-status=live }}]
==Description==
The chain moray is an elongated, heavy, eel-like fish that commonly grows to a length of about {{convert|30|to|45|cm|0|abbr=on}}. The head has a rounded snout and pointed, blunt teeth, especially on the roof of the mouth. These teeth are used to crush the shells of crabs, their main source of food. The [dorsal](/source/Dorsal_fin), tail and [anal fins](/source/anal_fins) are combined into a single long fin, and there are no [pectoral](/source/Pectoral_fin) or [ventral fins](/source/Pelvic_fin). The skin does not bear scales, but is covered with a layer of clear mucus. This fish is dark brown to black, marked with an interconnecting lattice-work of yellow, chain-like lines. The eyes are yellow.[{{cite web |url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=caribbean_diving_guide&id=150 |title=Chain moray (''Echidna catenata'') |author1=De Kluijver, M. |author2=Gijswijt, G. |author3=de Leon, R. |author4=da Cunda, I. |work=Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving |publisher=Marine Species Information Portal |access-date=2014-05-09 |archive-date=2018-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123201114/http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=caribbean_diving_guide&id=150 |url-status=live }}]
==Distribution and habitat==
The species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from [Bermuda](/source/Bermuda), [Florida](/source/Florida), and [The Bahamas](/source/The_Bahamas), to the [Antilles](/source/Antilles) and [Brazil](/source/Brazil). It is common in the [Caribbean](/source/Caribbean), and is also reported from the eastern Atlantic ([Cape Verde](/source/Cape_Verde) and [Ascension Island](/source/Ascension_Island)) and some southern Atlantic islands. It is found on reefs and rocky shores in clear water at depths of less than {{convert|12|m|0|abbr=on}}, and usually within {{Convert|2|m|ft|abbr=on|sp=us}} of the surface.[
==Ecology==
Mainly nocturnal, the chain moray hides in holes and crevices in shallow water during the day, often with its head projecting. It continually opens and closes its mouth to increase the flow of water over its [gill](/source/gill)s.][ A carnivore, it feeds on such organisms as [crab](/source/crab)s, which are the mainstay of its diet, [shrimp](/source/shrimp)s, [worm](/source/worm)s, [octopus](/source/octopus)es][{{cite web |last1=Lalla |first1=Tanisha |year=2016 |title=''Echidna catenata'' (Chain Moray) |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Echidna_catenata%20-%20Chain%20Moray.pdf |series=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago |publisher=[University of the West Indies](/source/University_of_the_West_Indies) |access-date=5 May 2024 |archive-date=22 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220822130713/https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Echidna_catenata%20-%20Chain%20Moray.pdf |url-status=live }}] and small [fish](/source/fish). Its blunt teeth are especially adapted for feeding on [crustacean](/source/crustacean)s. It does not always leave its hiding place to forage, sometimes remaining where it is, ready to grab any prey that passes.[{{cite web |url=http://94.23.146.173/ficheros/629f10f67c4e94e1f39a1113e6904415.pdf |title=Chain moray |author=Randell, J. E. |year=1967 |work=Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies |access-date=2014-05-09 |archive-date=2014-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512231526/http://94.23.146.173/ficheros/629f10f67c4e94e1f39a1113e6904415.pdf }}] It sometimes forages in [tide pool](/source/tide_pool)s and is able to survive for up to half an hour out of water.[ As well as ambushing prey, its feeding strategies include searching under the rims of pools, beneath rocks and in holes for prey, stalking observed prey or chasing it for a distance of up to {{convert|5|m|0|abbr=on}}. When close enough to its prey, usually when it is within {{convert|5|to|10|cm|0|abbr=on}}, it strikes, an action it can perform with its body wholly or partly out of the water. When captured, large crabs are torn apart while small ones are swallowed whole.][
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Echidna catenata|''Echidna catenata''}}
*{{Wikispecies-inline|Echidna catenata|''Echidna catenata''}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q3720159}}
catenata
Category:Fish described in 1795
Category:Taxa named by Marcus Elieser Bloch
Category:Fish of the Atlantic Ocean
Category:Fish of Cuba
Category:Fish of the Dominican Republic
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chain moray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_moray) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_moray?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
]