Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Gymnothorax: Greek, gymnos = naked + Greek, thorax, -akos = breast (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Girard.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 100 m (Ref. 9761), usually 10 - 19 m (Ref. 89891). Subtropical; 67°N - 36°N, 118°W - 153°W
Western Atlantic: southern Florida to Texas and Yucatan in Mexico, but most common west of Mississippi River Delta.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 99.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); max. published weight: 1.4 kg (Ref. 40637)
Brown, with small yellow or white spots on body and lower half of fins (Ref. 26938).
Abundant in seagrass beds and banks from 10-19 m depth. Rarely found in bays; absent from coral reefs.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
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. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 25.8 - 28.2, mean 27.3 °C (based on 315 cells).
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): 4.1 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (60 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 16.6 [8.0, 41.5] mg/100g; Iron = 0.423 [0.230, 0.882] mg/100g; Protein = 19.5 [17.3, 22.0] %; Omega3 = 0.17 [0.07, 0.49] g/100g; Selenium = 24.4 [11.7, 52.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 35.5 [10.0, 129.9] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.582 [0.380, 0.889] mg/100g (wet weight);