Gymnothorax

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Gymnothorax maderensis - pone.0010676.g007.png

| image_caption = Gymnothorax maderensis

| image2 = Gymnothorax tile (Hamilton, 1822).jpg

| image2_caption = Gymnothorax tile

| taxon = Gymnothorax

| authority = Bloch, 1795

| type_species = Gymnothorax reticularis{{cite journal |last1=Jordan |first1=David Starr |year=1926 |title=Opinion 93: Twelve generic names of fishes placed in the official list, by suspension of the rules |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=5–11 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/8911077}}

| type_species_authority = Bloch, 1795

}}

Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.

{{harvp|Smith|2012}} notes that Gymnothorax as currently recognized is polyphyletic, but cautioned that comparative studies are needed before action is taken to resurrect generic synonyms of Gymnothorax.{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=D.G. |year=2012 |title=A checklist of the moray eels of the world (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) |journal=Zootaxa |issue=3474 |pages=1-64 }}

Description

Species in this genus are slender (most skinny one being Gymnothorax gracilicauda {{Cite web |title=Slendertail Moray, Gymnothorax gracilicauda |url=https://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/eels/gymnothorax-gracilicauda.htm |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=www.marinelifephotography.com}})and can get up to 6-8 feet.{{Cite web |title=Gymnothorax funebris |url=https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/gymnothorax-funebris/ |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=Discover Fishes |language=en-US}} Like all moray eels have pharyngeal jaws.

Species

Both FishBase and World Register of Marine Species recognize a total of 128 valid species in the genus.{{FishBase_genus |genus=Gymnothorax |month=June |year=2016 }}{{cite WoRMS |title=Gymnothorax Bloch, 1795 |id=125636 |access-date=13 March 2020 }} However, each database includes three species that the other does not list, which are noted in the list below.

Gymnothorax afer Bloch, 1795 (Dark moray)
Gymnothorax albimarginatus (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (White-margin moray)
Gymnothorax andamanensis {{Small|Mohapatra, Kiruba-Sankar, Praveenraj & Mohanty, 2019}}{{cite journal |last1=Mohapatra |first1=Anil |last2=Kiruba-Sankar |first2=R. |last3=Praveenraj |first3=J. |last4=Mohanty |first4=Swarup Ranjan |date=2019-08-27|title=A new short brown unpatterned moray eel Gymnothorax andamanensis (Muraenidae: Muraeninae) from Andaman waters, India|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4661.1.11|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4661|issue=1|pages=189–196|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4661.1.11|pmid=31716725 |s2cid=202849896 |issn=1175-5334}}
Gymnothorax angusticauda (M. C. W. Weber & de Beaufort, 1916) (Narrow-tail moray)
Gymnothorax angusticeps (Hildebrand & F. O. Barton, 1949)
Gymnothorax annasona Whitley, 1937 (Lord Howe Island moray)
Gymnothorax annulatus D. G. Smith & E. B. Böhlke, 1997 (Ringed moray)
Gymnothorax arabicus D. G. Smith, Bogorodsky, Dandar & Zajonz, 2024{{cite journal |author= David G. Smith |author2=Sergey V. Bogorodsky |author3= James Dandar |author4= Uwe Zanjonz |year= 2024 |title=A new species of short unpatterned moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean, including the Socotra Archipelago, with a redescription of Gymnothorax pseudoherrei Böhlke |journal=Zootaxa |volume=5477 |issue=4 |pages=465-474 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.5477.4.4}}
Gymnothorax atolli (Pietschmann, 1935) (Atoll moray)
Gymnothorax aurocephalus Nashad, Mohapatra, Varghese & Bineesh, 2020 (Goldenhead moray){{Cite journal|last1=Nashad|first1=M.|last2=Mohapatra|first2=Anil|last3=Varghese|first3=Sijo P.|last4=Ramalingam|first4=L.|last5=K|first5=Bineesh K.|last6=Mohanty|first6=Swarup Ranjan|date=2020-11-10|title=A new white-spotted moray eel, Gymnothorax aurocephalus sp. nov. (Muraenidae: Muraeninae) from Andaman Sea, India|url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4877.2.8|journal=Zootaxa|language=en|volume=4877|issue=2|pages=361–372|doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4877.2.8|pmid=33311194 |s2cid=228863906 |issn=1175-5334}}
Gymnothorax australicola Lavenberg, 1992 (South Pacific moray)
Gymnothorax austrinus E. B. Böhlke & McCosker, 2001 (Southern moray)
Gymnothorax bacalladoi E. B. Böhlke & Brito, 1987 (Canary moray)
Gymnothorax baranesi D. G. Smith, Brokovich & Einbinder, 2008
Gymnothorax bathyphilus J. E. Randall & McCosker, 1975 (Deep-dwelling moray)
Gymnothorax berndti Snyder, 1904 (Y-patterned moray)
Gymnothorax breedeni McCosker & J. E. Randall, 1977 (Black-cheek moray)
Gymnothorax buroensis (Bleeker, 1857) (Vagrant moray)
Gymnothorax castaneus (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1883) (Panamic green moray)
Gymnothorax castlei E. B. Böhlke & J. E. Randall, 1999 (Castle's moray)
Gymnothorax cephalospilus E. B. Böhlke & McCosker, 2001 (Head-spot moray)
Gymnothorax chilospilus Bleeker, 1864 (Lip-spot moray)
Gymnothorax chlamydatus Snyder, 1908 (Banded mud moray)
Gymnothorax conspersus Poey, 1867 (Saddled moray)
Gymnothorax cribroris Whitley, 1932 (Sieve-patterned moray)
Gymnothorax davidsmithi McCosker & J. E. Randall, 2008 (Flores mud moray)
Gymnothorax dorsalis Seale, 1917
Gymnothorax dovii (Günther, 1870) (Fine-spotted moray)
Gymnothorax elaineheemstrae {{Small|Sithole, Smith, Mwale & Gouws, 2020}}{{cite journal |first1=Yonela |last1=Sithole |first2=David G. |last2=Smith |first3=Monica |last3=Mwale |first4=Gavin |last4=Gouws |year=2020 |title=A Taxonomic Revision of Gymnothorax undulatus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) in the Western Indian Ocean, with Description of A New Species |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4767 |issue=1 |pages=161–181 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4767.1.7|s2cid=218992195 }}
Gymnothorax elegans Bliss, 1883 (Elegant moray)
Gymnothorax emmae Prokofiev, 2010Prokofiev, A.M. (2010): [http://www.maik.rssi.ru/abstract/ichth/10/ichth8_10p580abs.htm Two New Species of Fishes from Families Muraenidae (Anguilliformes) and Mugiloididae (Perciformes) from the Waters of Vietnam.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232912/http://www.maik.rssi.ru/abstract/ichth/10/ichth8_10p580abs.htm |date=2016-03-03 }} Journal of Ichthyology, 50 (8): 580-589.
Gymnothorax enigmaticus McCosker & J. E. Randall, 1982 (Enigmatic moray)
Gymnothorax equatorialis (Hildebrand, 1946) (Spot-tail moray)
Gymnothorax eurostus (C. C. Abbott, 1860) (Abbott's moray)
Gymnothorax eurygnathos E. B. Böhlke, 2001
Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Laced moray)
Gymnothorax fimbriatus (E. T. Bennett, 1832) (Fimbriated moray)
Gymnothorax flavimarginatus (Rüppell, 1830) (Yellow-edged moray)
Gymnothorax flavoculus (E. B. Böhlke & J. E. Randall, 1996) (Pale-nose moray)
Gymnothorax formosus Bleeker, 1864
Gymnothorax funebris Ranzani, 1839 (Green moray)
Gymnothorax fuscomaculatus (L. P. Schultz, 1953) (Brown-spotted moray)
Gymnothorax gracilicauda O. P. Jenkins, 1903 (Slender-tail moray)
Gymnothorax griseus (Lacépède, 1803) (Geometric moray)
Gymnothorax hansi Heemstra, 2004
Gymnothorax hepaticus (Rüppell, 1830) (Liver-colored moray)
Gymnothorax herrei Beebe & Tee-Van, 1933 (Herre's moray)
Gymnothorax hubbsi J. E. Böhlke & E. B. Böhlke, 1977 (Lichen moray)
Gymnothorax indicus Mohapatra, D. Ray, D. G. Smith & Mishra, 2016 (Indian unpatterened moray)Mohapatra, A., Ray, D., Smith, D.G. & Mishra, S.S. (2016): A new species of elongate unpatterned moray eel of the genus Gymnothorax (Muraenidae: Muraeninae) from the Bay of Bengal. Zootaxa, 4150 (5): 591–598.{{efn|name=FishBase|G. indicus, G. mishrai, and G. odishi are listed in FishBase, but not in WoRMS.}}
Gymnothorax intesi (Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979) (White-tip moray)
Gymnothorax isingteena (J. Richardson, 1845) (Indo-Pacific spotted moray)
Gymnothorax javanicus (Bleeker, 1859) (Giant moray)
Gymnothorax johnsoni (J. L. B. Smith, 1962) (White-spotted moray)
Gymnothorax kidako (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Kidako moray)
Gymnothorax kolpos J. E. Böhlke & E. B. Böhlke, 1980 (Black-tail moray)
Gymnothorax kontodontos E. B. Böhlke, 2000 (Short-tooth moray)
Gymnothorax longinquus (Whitley, 1948)
Gymnothorax maderensis (J. Y. Johnson, 1862) (Shark-tooth moray)
Gymnothorax mareei Poll, 1953 (Spot-jaw moray)
Gymnothorax margaritophorus Bleeker, 1864 (Blotch-necked moray)
Gymnothorax marshallensis (L. P. Schultz, 1953) (Marshall Islands moray)
Gymnothorax mccoskeri D. G. Smith & E. B. Böhlke, 1997
Gymnothorax megaspilus E. B. Böhlke & J. E. Randall, 1995 (Oman moray)
Gymnothorax melanosomatus K. H. Loh, K. T. Shao & H. M. Chen, 2011 (Black-body moray)Loh, K.-H., Shao, K.-T. & Chen, H.-M. (2011): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt03134p052.pdf Gymnothorax melanosomatus, a new moray eel (Teleostei: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from southeastern Taiwan.] Zootaxa, 3134: 43–52.
Gymnothorax melatremus L. P. Schultz, 1953 (Dwarf moray)
Gymnothorax meleagris (G. Shaw, 1795) (Turkey moray)
Gymnothorax microspila (Günther, 1870){{efn|name=WoRMS|G. microspila, G. sagenodeta, and G. visakhaensis are listed in WoRMS, but not in FishBase.}}
Gymnothorax microstictus E. B. Böhlke, 2000 (Small-spot moray)
Gymnothorax miliaris (Kaup, 1856) (Golden-tail moray)
Gymnothorax minor (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846)
Gymnothorax mishrai D. Ray, Mohapatra & D. G. Smith, 2015 (Bengal moray)Ray, D., Mohapatra, A. & Smith, D.G. (2015): A new species of Short Brown Unpatterned Moray Eel of the Genus Gymnothorax (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the Bay of Bengal. Zootaxa, 4027 (1): 140–144.{{efn|name=FishBase}}
Gymnothorax moluccensis (Bleeker, 1864) (Moluccan moray)
Gymnothorax monochrous (Bleeker, 1856) (Drab moray)
Gymnothorax monostigma (Regan, 1909) (One-spot moray)
Gymnothorax mordax (Ayres, 1859) (California moray)
Gymnothorax moringa (G. Cuvier, 1829) (Spotted moray)
Gymnothorax nasuta F. de Buen, 1961 (Easter Island moray)
Gymnothorax neglectus S. Tanaka (I), 1911
Gymnothorax nigromarginatus (Girard, 1858) (Black-edge moray)
Gymnothorax niphostigmus H. M. Chen, K. T. Shao & C. T. Chen, 1996 (Snowflake-patched moray)
Gymnothorax nubilus (J. Richardson, 1848) (Grey moray)
Gymnothorax nudivomer (Günther, 1867) (Yellow-mouth moray)
Gymnothorax nuttingi Snyder, 1904 (Nutting's moray)
Gymnothorax obesus (Whitley, 1932) (Griffin's moray)
Gymnothorax ocellatus Agassiz, 1831 (Caribbean ocellated moray)
Gymnothorax odishi Mohapatra, Mohanty, Smith, Mishra, and Roy, 2018Mohapatra, A., S. R. Mohanty, D. G. Smith, S. S. Mishra and S. Roy 2018. Gymnothorax odishi sp. nov. (Muraenidae: Muraeninae), a short brown unpatterned moray eel from Bay of Bengal, India. Zootaxa 4420 (no. 1): 123-130.{{efn|name=FishBase}}
Gymnothorax panamensis (Steindachner, 1876) (Masked moray)
Gymnothorax parini Collette, D. G. Smith & E. B. Böhlke, 1991
Gymnothorax phalarus W. A. Bussing, 1998
Gymnothorax pharaonis D. G. Smith, et. al. 2019 (Pharaoh's moray)
Gymnothorax phasmatodes (J. L. B. Smith], 1962) (Ghost moray)
Gymnothorax philippinus D. S. Jordan & Seale, 1907 (Philippines moray)
Gymnothorax pictus (J. N. Ahl, 1789) (Paint-spotted moray)
Gymnothorax pikei Bliss, 1883 (Pike's moray)
Gymnothorax pindae J. L. B. Smith, 1962 (Pinda moray)
Gymnothorax poikilospilus Chen & Huang, 2022
Gymnothorax polygonius Poey, 1875 (Polygon moray)
Gymnothorax polyspondylus E. B. Böhlke & J. E. Randall, 2000
Gymnothorax polyuranodon (Bleeker, 1854) (Freshwater moray)
Gymnothorax porphyreus (Guichenot, 1848) (Low-fin moray)
Gymnothorax prasinus (J. Richardson, 1848) (Yellow moray)
Gymnothorax prionodon J. D. Ogilby, 1895 (Australian mottled moray)
Gymnothorax prismodon E. B. Böhlke & J. E. Randall, 2000
Gymnothorax prolatus K. Sasaki & Amaoka, 1991
Gymnothorax pseudoherrei E. B. Böhlke, 2000 (False brown moray)
Gymnothorax pseudokidako Huang, Loh & Liao, 2021
Gymnothorax pseudomelanosomatus K. H. Loh, K. T. Shao & H. M. Chen, 2015 (False black-body moray)Loh, K.-H., Shao, K.-T., Ho, H.-C., Lim, P.-E. & Chen, H.-M. (2015): [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/zt04060p040.pdf A new species of moray eel (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from Taiwan, with comments on related elongate unpatterned species.] Zootaxa, 4060 (1): 30-40.
Gymnothorax pseudothyrsoideus (Bleeker, 1853) (High-fin moray)
Gymnothorax pseudotile Mohapatra, Smith, Ray, Mishra & Mohanty, 2017 (Bengal low-fin moray)
Gymnothorax punctatofasciatus Bleeker, 1863 (Bars'n-spots moray)
Gymnothorax punctatus Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 (Red Sea white-spotted moray)
Gymnothorax randalli D. G. Smith & E. B. Böhlke, 1997 (Randall's moray)
Gymnothorax reevesii (J. Richardson, 1845) (Reeve's moray)
Gymnothorax reticularis Bloch, 1795
Gymnothorax richardsonii (Bleeker, 1852) (Richardson's moray)
Gymnothorax robinsi E. B. Böhlke, 1997 (Robins' moray)
Gymnothorax rueppelliae (McClelland, 1844) (Banded moray)
Gymnothorax ryukyuensis Hatooka, 2003
Gymnothorax sagenodeta (Richardson, 1848){{efn|name=WoRMS}}
Gymnothorax sagmacephalus E. B. Böhlke, 1997
Gymnothorax saxicola D. S. Jordan & B. M. Davis, 1891 (Ocellated moray)
Gymnothorax serratidens (Hildebrand & F. O. Barton, 1949)
Gymnothorax shaoi H. M. Chen & K. H. Loh, 2007
Gymnothorax sokotrensis Kotthaus, 1968
Gymnothorax steindachneri D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1903 (Steindachner's moray)
Gymnothorax taiwanensis H. M. Chen, K. H. Loh & K. T. Shao, 2008 (Taiwanese moray)
Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis Kodeeswaran, Kantharajan, Mohapatra, Kumar & Sarkar 2023
Gymnothorax thyrsoideus (J. Richardson, 1845) (Grey-face moray)
Gymnothorax tile (F. Hamilton, 1822) (Indian mud moray)
Gymnothorax undulatus (Lacépède, 1803) (Undulated moray)
Gymnothorax unicolor (Delaroche, 1809) (Brown moray)
Gymnothorax vagrans (Seale, 1917)
Gymnothorax verrilli (D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1883) (White-edged moray)
Gymnothorax vicinus (Castelnau, 1855) (Purple-mouth moray)
Gymnothorax visakhaensis Mohapatra, Smith, Mohanty, Mishra & Tudu, 2017{{efn|name=WoRMS}}
Gymnothorax walvisensis Prokofiev, 2009
Gymnothorax woodwardi McCulloch, 1912
Gymnothorax ypsilon Hatooka & J. E. Randall, 1992 (Y-bar moray)
Gymnothorax zonipectis Seale, 1906 (Barred-fin moray)

Notes

References

Category:Marine fish genera

Category:Taxa named by Marcus Elieser Bloch