| Laced moray | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Family: | Muraenidae |
| Genus: | Gymnothorax |
| Species: | G. favagineus |
| Binomial name | |
| Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801 | |
The laced moray (Gymnothorax favagineus), also known as the leopard moray, leopard moray eel, tessellate moray or honeycomb moray, is a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae.
Gymnothorax favagineus is a large moray which can reach a maximum length of 3 metres (10 feet), but specimens usually encountered are much smaller. [2]
Its body is serpentine in shape, with a white to yellowish background color dotted with numerous black spots. These spots vary in size and shape depending on the individual and on the environment in which the animals live: [3] morays living on a reef with clear water will have fewer black spots than those living in a turbid environment. [4] This characteristic color pattern is the source of its vernacular name.
The laced moray is widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific area from eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to Papua New Guinea and from southern Japan to the Great Barrier Reef. [5] [6]
It lives on the outer slopes of coral reefs. During the day, it sits sheltered in crevices between 1 and 45 meters (3.3 and 147.6 feet) deep. [7]
The laced moray is carnivorous. It leaves its lair at night to actively hunt its prey along the reef. It feeds mainly on small fish and cephalopods. [8] Large adults are prone to be aggressive in the wild. [9]
