Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Muraenidae (Moray eels) > Muraeninae
Etymology: Gymnothorax: Greek, gymnos = naked + Greek, thorax, -akos = breast (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 74 m (Ref. 58302), usually 3 - 5 m (Ref. 89972). Subtropical
Indo-Pacific: anti-tropical in distribution. Reported from Seychelles (Ref. 1623) but Randall and van Egmond 1994 (Ref. 10685) believe otherwise. Eastern Pacific: Costa Rica and Easter Island (Ref. 9710) and Chile (Ref. 9068).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 559)
Vertebrae: 120 - 123. Dark purplish brown with small yellow spots which is sparse on the tail (Ref. 3257). This species is similar to Gymnothorax meleagris in having biserial maxillary teeth, with inner and outer series about equal in length; intermaxillary teeth arranged in a peripheral series, a median series, and an intermediate series on each side between the median and peripheral series. (Ref. 74922).
Benthic in crevices (Ref. 58302). Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes (Ref. 89972). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 86942.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Chen, H.-M., K.-T. Shao and C.T. Chen, 1994. A review of the muraenid eels (Family Muraenidae) from Taiwan with descriptions of twelve new records. Zool. Stud. 33(1):44-64. (Ref. 6934)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 21.5 - 28.4, mean 26.8 °C (based on 1927 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00065 (0.00043 - 0.00098), b=3.27 (3.15 - 3.39), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.67 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 22.8 [10.9, 61.9] mg/100g; Iron = 0.471 [0.253, 0.966] mg/100g; Protein = 19.5 [17.3, 22.0] %; Omega3 = 0.185 [0.080, 0.536] g/100g; Selenium = 19.6 [9.3, 44.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 46.2 [12.9, 169.6] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.639 [0.411, 0.982] mg/100g (wet weight);