Gymnothorax pictus

(Ahl, 1789)

Paintspotted Moray, Peppered Moray

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: East Africa to the Galapagos, Cocos, and Clipperton Islands, north to Hawaiian Islands and Southern Japan, and south to Australia and the Kermadec Islands.

Size: 56 inches (140 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits reef flats and intertidal zones at depths between 15 to about 300 feet (5 – 90 m) and stays under rocks and/or in caves during daytime and hunts prey during evening hours when it feeds mainly on smaller fishes and crustaceans.

General Husbandry: Quite drab, having a heavily mottled greyish white body. Not collected for the trade.

Taxonomy:

Order: Anguilliformes

Suborder: Muraenoidei

Family: Muraenidae

Subfamily: Muraeninae

Genus: Gymnothorax

FYI: Shown here for identification only. Best left in the wild.