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
''Gymnothorax favagineus'' is a large moray which can reach a maximum length of 300 cm, but specimens usually encountered are much smaller.
Its serpentine in shape body has a white to yellowish background color dotted with numerous black spots which latter vary in size and shape depending on the individual and on the environment in which the animals live.
Therefore, morays living on a reef with clear water will have less black spots than those of a turbid environment.
It is from this characteristic color pattern that ensue its vernacular names.
Distribution and habitat
The laced moray is widespread throughout the
Indo-West Pacific area from eastern coast of
Africa,
Red Sea included, until
Papua New Guinea and from south
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
to the
Great Barrier Reef.
It lives on the outer slopes of coral reefs. During the day, it sits sheltered in crevices between 3.3 and 148.5 feet (1 and 45 meters) deep.
Biology
The laced moray is
carnivorous
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other sof ...
. It leaves its lair at night to actively hunt its prey along the reef.
It feeds mainly on small fish and
cephalopods
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...
. 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
External links
Marinespecies.org: ''Gymnothorax favagineus''Fishes of Australia : ''Gymnothorax favagineus''*
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q923998
laced moray
Marine fish of Northern Australia
laced moray
laced moray
laced moray