41: MURAENIDAE (MORAY EELS)
4a Body depth 30-33 in length; head 4-5 times in
trunk; D margin light blue .............................. G. phasmatodes
4b Body depth about 19-22 in length; head 2.7-2.9 in
trunk; D margin faint yellow, as is body .............. G. monochrous
5a Two nearly subequal rows of teeth at sides of
upper jaw, an outer row of small teeth and an inner row
of 8 or more larger ones; 5 longitudinal rows of teeth
(including 1 row on vomer) at front of upper jaw; (tip of
tail white) ...................................................................... 6
5b One continuous row of teeth at sides of upper jaw,
although 1-6 long, needle-like teeth may seem to form an
incomplete inner row; 3 longitudinal rows of teeth
(including 1 row on vomer) at front of upper jaw .................... 8
6a Head, body and fins with small white spots on
black background; gill opening with black margin ..... G. meleagris
6b Colour pattern variously mottled, often including
white spots, but not solely of round white spots on a
black background; margin of gill opening not black ................. 7
7a Body dark brown, covered with small yellow spots;
chin and throat marked like rest of head; jaws of adults
cannot be closed completely .................................. G. eurostus
7b Body dark brown, with vague dark spots anteriorly;
chin and throat region plain; jaws close completely .. G. buroensis
8a Colour variable, usually brownish to nearly
black, with diffuse white wavy bars or anastomosing
lines, especially prominent posteriorly (lines become
diffuse in large specimens); A usually with white border
best developed posteriorly .................................. G. undulatus
8b Body dark or light, lacking narrow, white wavy lines ............... 9
9a Body faintly coloured, overlain with distinct or
diffuse bands or bars; (gill opening not in a dark spot) . . . .. .. . .. .. 10
9b Body overlain with lighter spots, or darker spots or
mottling, not forming vertical bars or bands.......................... 12
lOa Body with 16-22 black rings separated by pale
interspaces, especially behind mid-body .............................. 11
lOb Body pale brownish with dark spots on sides arranged
in vertical bars, those bars continuing on fins as
oblique spots; (lower jaw distinctively barred with white
and brown; 2 distinctive white streaks behind eye) ... G. zonipectis
lla Black rings completely encircle body, even under head
and before anus, and extend to edge of fins; front
nostrils pale .................................................. G. enigmaticus
11 b Black rings not continuous under head and before
anus, and do not extend to white fin edge posteriorly;
front nostrils dark ............................................ G. rueppelliae
12a Body with distinct spots, contrasting with paler
or darker background ...................................................... 13
12b Body with blotches, mottling or freckling, not distinct spots .... 17
13a Colour pattern of brown or dark spots on
yellowish background ...................................................... 14
13b Colour pattern of pale yellowish, white or cream
spots on a green, brown or black body ................................. 15
14a Dark blotches much bigger than eye; body depth
18-22 in TL ............................................. ........ G. permistus
14b Dark marks, especially on head, not much bigger than
eye and in a honeycomb pattern; body depth
13-15 in TL .................................................... G. favagineus
15a Vomerine teeth absent; snout short and blunt ........ G. nudivomer
15b Vomerine teeth present ................................................... 16
168
16a Gill openings dark; light spots form narrow
vertical bands on hind half of tail ............................. G. elegans
16b Gill openings not dark; spots distinct on tail,
larger than spots on head and trunk ........................ G. johnsoni
17a Body brownish, irregularly marked with yellowish blotches
and diffuse vertical bars on tail; a row of 2-7 dark
brown oval blotches behind eye .................. G. margaritophorus
17b Body either brownish or greyish, with irregular
darker mottling; no row of dark blotches behind eye .............. 18
18a Body dark brown or greyish with darker mottling;
chin and throat region pale; gill opening not in a dark
spot; vomerine teeth biserial ............................. G. richardsoni
18b Body brown to dark chocolate, mottled with dark flecks;
gill opening in a dark spot; vomerine teeth small and
concealed, or absent ....................................................... 19
19a A conspicuous black mark behind eye, continuous
with a short oblique black bar to behind mouth; pale fin
edging restricted to tip of tail ................................. G. breedeni
19b No black bar or stripe behind eye; median fins
yellow- or green-edged ............................... G. Jlavimarginatus
41.6 Gymnothorax breedeni
McCosker & Randall, 1977
Blackcheek moray
Swartwang-bontpaling
Gymnothorax breedeni McCosker & Randall, 1977: 162, Figs. 1-3
(Grand Comoro Id.)
A robust, mostly plain moray; head about 7.5, depth about 14.
Uniserial, finely serrate, stout, conical teeth in jaws; 2 or 3 pairs of sharp,
slender, depressible teeth on intermaxillary; a few median fangs on
vomer. Vertebrae 128-129.
Brown, speckled darker; anus and gill opening dark.
Attains 65 cm. Sodwana Bay; Comores, and Maldives to
the eastern central Pacific.
41.6 Gymnothorax breedeni: 49.5 em (Amirantes Ids.).
41.7 Gymnothorax buroensis
(Bleeker, 1857)
Lattice-tail moray
Ruitjiesstert-bontpaling
Muraena buroensis Bleeker, 1857: 79 (Indonesia); 1864: 99*. Lycodon tis buroensis: Smith, 1962: 439*. Gymnothorax buroensis: Winterbottom, 1978: 42.
Head about 6.7, depth 9-15. Uniserial, sharp, recurved teeth on lower
jaw, biserial on upper, the inner row larger; a few large fangs on intermaxillary; uniserial, small, blunt teeth on vomer. Vertebrae 111-120.
4a Body depth 30-33 in length; head 4-5 times in
trunk; D margin light blue .............................. G. phasmatodes
4b Body depth about 19-22 in length; head 2.7-2.9 in
trunk; D margin faint yellow, as is body .............. G. monochrous
5a Two nearly subequal rows of teeth at sides of
upper jaw, an outer row of small teeth and an inner row
of 8 or more larger ones; 5 longitudinal rows of teeth
(including 1 row on vomer) at front of upper jaw; (tip of
tail white) ...................................................................... 6
5b One continuous row of teeth at sides of upper jaw,
although 1-6 long, needle-like teeth may seem to form an
incomplete inner row; 3 longitudinal rows of teeth
(including 1 row on vomer) at front of upper jaw .................... 8
6a Head, body and fins with small white spots on
black background; gill opening with black margin ..... G. meleagris
6b Colour pattern variously mottled, often including
white spots, but not solely of round white spots on a
black background; margin of gill opening not black ................. 7
7a Body dark brown, covered with small yellow spots;
chin and throat marked like rest of head; jaws of adults
cannot be closed completely .................................. G. eurostus
7b Body dark brown, with vague dark spots anteriorly;
chin and throat region plain; jaws close completely .. G. buroensis
8a Colour variable, usually brownish to nearly
black, with diffuse white wavy bars or anastomosing
lines, especially prominent posteriorly (lines become
diffuse in large specimens); A usually with white border
best developed posteriorly .................................. G. undulatus
8b Body dark or light, lacking narrow, white wavy lines ............... 9
9a Body faintly coloured, overlain with distinct or
diffuse bands or bars; (gill opening not in a dark spot) . . . .. .. . .. .. 10
9b Body overlain with lighter spots, or darker spots or
mottling, not forming vertical bars or bands.......................... 12
lOa Body with 16-22 black rings separated by pale
interspaces, especially behind mid-body .............................. 11
lOb Body pale brownish with dark spots on sides arranged
in vertical bars, those bars continuing on fins as
oblique spots; (lower jaw distinctively barred with white
and brown; 2 distinctive white streaks behind eye) ... G. zonipectis
lla Black rings completely encircle body, even under head
and before anus, and extend to edge of fins; front
nostrils pale .................................................. G. enigmaticus
11 b Black rings not continuous under head and before
anus, and do not extend to white fin edge posteriorly;
front nostrils dark ............................................ G. rueppelliae
12a Body with distinct spots, contrasting with paler
or darker background ...................................................... 13
12b Body with blotches, mottling or freckling, not distinct spots .... 17
13a Colour pattern of brown or dark spots on
yellowish background ...................................................... 14
13b Colour pattern of pale yellowish, white or cream
spots on a green, brown or black body ................................. 15
14a Dark blotches much bigger than eye; body depth
18-22 in TL ............................................. ........ G. permistus
14b Dark marks, especially on head, not much bigger than
eye and in a honeycomb pattern; body depth
13-15 in TL .................................................... G. favagineus
15a Vomerine teeth absent; snout short and blunt ........ G. nudivomer
15b Vomerine teeth present ................................................... 16
168
16a Gill openings dark; light spots form narrow
vertical bands on hind half of tail ............................. G. elegans
16b Gill openings not dark; spots distinct on tail,
larger than spots on head and trunk ........................ G. johnsoni
17a Body brownish, irregularly marked with yellowish blotches
and diffuse vertical bars on tail; a row of 2-7 dark
brown oval blotches behind eye .................. G. margaritophorus
17b Body either brownish or greyish, with irregular
darker mottling; no row of dark blotches behind eye .............. 18
18a Body dark brown or greyish with darker mottling;
chin and throat region pale; gill opening not in a dark
spot; vomerine teeth biserial ............................. G. richardsoni
18b Body brown to dark chocolate, mottled with dark flecks;
gill opening in a dark spot; vomerine teeth small and
concealed, or absent ....................................................... 19
19a A conspicuous black mark behind eye, continuous
with a short oblique black bar to behind mouth; pale fin
edging restricted to tip of tail ................................. G. breedeni
19b No black bar or stripe behind eye; median fins
yellow- or green-edged ............................... G. Jlavimarginatus
41.6 Gymnothorax breedeni
McCosker & Randall, 1977
Blackcheek moray
Swartwang-bontpaling
Gymnothorax breedeni McCosker & Randall, 1977: 162, Figs. 1-3
(Grand Comoro Id.)
A robust, mostly plain moray; head about 7.5, depth about 14.
Uniserial, finely serrate, stout, conical teeth in jaws; 2 or 3 pairs of sharp,
slender, depressible teeth on intermaxillary; a few median fangs on
vomer. Vertebrae 128-129.
Brown, speckled darker; anus and gill opening dark.
Attains 65 cm. Sodwana Bay; Comores, and Maldives to
the eastern central Pacific.
41.6 Gymnothorax breedeni: 49.5 em (Amirantes Ids.).
41.7 Gymnothorax buroensis
(Bleeker, 1857)
Lattice-tail moray
Ruitjiesstert-bontpaling
Muraena buroensis Bleeker, 1857: 79 (Indonesia); 1864: 99*. Lycodon tis buroensis: Smith, 1962: 439*. Gymnothorax buroensis: Winterbottom, 1978: 42.
Head about 6.7, depth 9-15. Uniserial, sharp, recurved teeth on lower
jaw, biserial on upper, the inner row larger; a few large fangs on intermaxillary; uniserial, small, blunt teeth on vomer. Vertebrae 111-120.