Laced moray
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Gymnothorax favagineus 2.jpg
| image_upright = 1.1
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Gymnothorax favagineus
| authority = Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801
| range_map =
| range_map_caption =
}}
The laced moray (Gymnothorax favagineus), also known as the leopard moray, leopard moray eel, tessellate moray or honeycomb moray, is a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae.
Description
File:Gymnothorax favagineus at World Ocean Museum in Kaliningrad.webm at World Ocean Museum in Kaliningrad]]
Gymnothorax favagineus is a large moray which can reach a maximum length of 3 metres (10 feet), but specimens usually encountered are much smaller.Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Its body is serpentine in shape, with a white to yellowish background color dotted with numerous black spots. These spots vary in size and shape depending on the individual and on the environment in which the animals live:Kuiter, R.H., 1998. Photo guide to fishes of the Maldives. Atoll Editions, Victoria, Australia. 257 p. morays living on a reef with clear water will have fewer black spots than those living in a turbid environment.Kuiter, R.H. and T. Tonozuka, 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 1. Eels- Snappers, Muraenidae - Lutjanidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 302 p. This characteristic color pattern is the source of its vernacular name.
Distribution and habitat
The laced moray is widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific area from eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to Papua New Guinea and from southern Japan to the Great Barrier Reef.Fricke, R., 1999. Fishes of the Mascarene Islands (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodriguez): an annotated checklist, with descriptions of new species. Koeltz Scientific Books, Koenigstein, Theses Zoologicae, Vol. 31:759 p.Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
It lives on the outer slopes of coral reefs. During the day, it sits sheltered in crevices between {{convert|1|and|45|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} deep.{{cite web |url=http://doris.ffessm.fr/fiche2.asp?fiche_numero=1567 |title = Gymnothorax favagineus {{!}} DORIS}}
Diet and feeding habits
The laced moray is carnivorous. It leaves its lair at night to actively hunt its prey along the reef.
It feeds mainly on small fish and cephalopods.Sommer, C., W. Schneider and J.-M. Poutiers, 1996. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Somalia. FAO, Rome. 376 p. Large adults are prone to be aggressive in the wild.Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|fish}}
- [http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=217509 Marinespecies.org: Gymnothorax favagineus]
- [http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3550 Fishes of Australia : Gymnothorax favagineus]
- {{ITIS |id=635540 |taxon=Gymnothorax favagineus |accessdate=13 January 2015}}
- {{FishBase|genus=Gymnothorax|species=favagineus|accessdate=13 January 2015}}
- {{sealifephotos|217509}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q923998}}