Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Gymnothorax: Greek, gymnos = naked + Greek, thorax, -akos = breast (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Whitley.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated. Temperate
Southwest Pacific: Australia, Norfolk Island and New Zealand (Ref. 8879) incl. Kermadec Is. (Ref. 33839) and questionably Juan Fernández Is. (Ref. 89357).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 180 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 33839)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Teeth in jaw roughly 25 in single series, anterior enlarged fang-like and depressible; vomerine teeth small. Mouth large (44% head length) does not fully close, reaching well beyond eyes. Lower jaw slightly prognathous, upper jaw blunt. Eyes small, roughly the same size as branchial opening, and continuous with surrounding skin. Branchial opening slanted posteriorly, below midline. Two branchial pores, three mandibular pores, four suborbital pores, and posterior nasal opening above and in front of eye. Head length roughly 7 times total length; preanal length about equal to tail length, posterior third laterally compressed.
A benthic species (Ref. 75154) which occurs inshore (Ref. 7300).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley, 1989. Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p. (Ref. 7300)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00047 (0.00025 - 0.00089), b=3.28 (3.13 - 3.43), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.3 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 6.07 [2.61, 10.41] mg/100g; Iron = 0.131 [0.071, 0.270] mg/100g; Protein = 19.1 [16.9, 21.6] %; Omega3 = 0.259 [0.108, 0.729] g/100g; Selenium = 14 [6, 29] μg/100g; VitaminA = 28.8 [6.9, 123.0] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.385 [0.249, 0.583] mg/100g (wet weight);