Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Gymnothorax: Greek, gymnos = naked + Greek, thorax, -akos = breast (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range ? - 145 m (Ref. 5288). Subtropical
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 122 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); common length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); max. published weight: 750 g (Ref. 40637)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Mottled greenish or brown overall, often with darker flecks. Anal and caudal fins have white margins that continue onto rear third and sometimes entire length of dorsal fin (Ref. 26938).
Western Atlantic: Bermuda, southern Florida (USA), and the Bahamas to Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, and islands of Bay of Biafra (Ref. 4450).
A benthic and solitary species (Ref. 26340) inhabiting rocky shores and reefs where water is clear. Most active at night (Ref. 9710). Marketed fresh (Ref. 5217). May cause serious wounds (Ref. 5217). Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil (Ref. 49392).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic (Ref. 5217)
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00000 (0.00000 - 0.00000), b=0.00000 (0.00000 - 0.00000), based on (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.7 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): .
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (60 of 100) .