Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Gymnothorax: Greek, gymnos = naked + Greek, thorax, -akos = breast (Ref. 45335).
Issue
Species Eschmeyer, pers. comm. (also in Paxton et al. 1989, Ref. 7300).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 20 m (Ref. 58302). Tropical; 28°N - 24°S
Pacific Ocean: Caroline and Mariana Islands to the Hawaiian, Line and Tuamoto Islands; throughout Micronesia. Recently reported from the Cocos Islands (Ref. 9399).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 32.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2334)
Inhabits corals and rocks of lagoon and seaward reefs. Mottled moray. Benthic (Ref. 58302, 75154). Possibly a protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 32169). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 86942.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Protogyny unconfirmed (Ref. 84746).
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 25 - 29.4, mean 28.2 °C (based on 1154 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00048 (0.00025 - 0.00091), b=3.28 (3.12 - 3.44), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (22 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 59.2 [32.9, 117.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.56 [0.33, 1.13] mg/100g; Protein = 18.8 [16.5, 21.4] %; Omega3 = 0.118 [0.053, 0.342] g/100g; Selenium = 27.9 [14.9, 58.9] μg/100g; VitaminA = 101 [30, 317] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.16 [0.81, 1.62] mg/100g (wet weight);