Bean-eyed Snake Moray, Uropterygius cyamommatus Huang, Liao & Tan 2023

Summary:

A small slender uniformly brown moray eel, with a long tail, very small and sometimes reduced eyes, and a whitish anterior nostril, gill opening, oral cavity, and head pores.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2024, Uropterygius cyamommatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 16 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5735

Bean-eyed Snake Moray, Uropterygius cyamommatus Huang, Liao & Tan 2023

More Info

Distribution	Anchialine caves on Christmas Island in the Eastern Indian Ocean (AUS EEZ), and Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines. Whip Cave, the type locality, is a cave system with a narrow mouth and lower chambers filled with anchialine water that is affected by tidal changes. Anchialine systems are landlocked water bodies with a subterranean connection to the ocean.
Features	Vertebrae: Pre-anus 56–62, pre-dorsal fin 130–138, pre-anal fin 131–139, total vertebrae 141–149. Small, slender; tail long, 56.3–61.1% of TL. Eyes very small, 3.0–4.6% of HL, sometimes reduced and subcutaneous. One branchial pore. Maxillary teeth biserial. Dentary teeth 2–3 rows anteriorly, biserial posteriorly.
Colour	Body uniform brown, slightly lighter ventrally, most pale on ventral surface below lower jaw. Anterior nostril (including its base depression), posterior nostril opening, gill opening, oral cavity, and head pores whitish. Numerous small, inconspicuous whitish neuromasts arranged in irregular lines on anterior head region and in one row along lateral line.
Remarks	Specimens from Christmas Island were collected with baited traps.
Similar Species	This species differs from all other species of Uropterygius in having very small eyes (3.0-4.6% of head length), a relatively long tail (56.3-61.1% of total length), and a comparatively large number of vertebrae (total vertebrae 141-149).
Etymology	The specific name cyamommatus is from the Greek kúamos (= bean) and ómma (= eye), in reference to its tiny bean-shaped eyes.
Species Citation	Uropterygius cyamommatus Huang, Liao & Tan 2023, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 71: 270, Figs. 3-7. Type locality: Whip Cave, a cave system with a narrow cave mouth and lower chambers filled with anchialine water affected by tidal changes, Christmas Island, Australia, 10°25.377ʹS, 105°42.081ʹE.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Bean-eyed Snake Moray, Uropterygius cyamommatus Huang, Liao & Tan 2023

References

Huang, W.-C., Liao, T.-Y. & Tan, H.H. Uropterygius cyamommatus, a new moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from anchialine caves in Christmas Island, Australia, and Panglao Island, the Philippines. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 71: 267-278. https://doi.org/10.26107/RBZ-2023-0021