Moray Eel Identification

[Kynigos]

I picked up an unidentified moray with very little information and I was wondering if anyone had an idea what it was. I've already asked Marco on WWM and without a collection locality he can't give an ID. All I know is it's over 30 inches long, very robust, and is not a white mouth, G. undulatus, G. fimbriatus, G. rupelii, (none of the common yellowhead morays) or G. prionodon. Also he's pretty badass. If you think you might know what it is or even have had one and know the collection locality I'd be really happy to hear from you!

 

[Kynigos]

A crappy full body shot that I forgot to put in the main post. The white spotted pattern on a near black body goes from the back of the head where you can see it all the way to the tip of the tail (and occurs inside the mouth)

 

[moriarty]

G. johnsoni maybe? Tough to find decent pics with accurate/correct ID's, but you may have a younger specimen. Worth taking a look at anyway.

 

[Kynigos]

G. Johnsoni has been brought up but I haven't been able to find mention of the yellow head in any literature.

 

[sacremon]

Maybe G. punctatus?

 

[Kynigos]

Looks like G. punctatus should have less spotting and a pale belly, chin and dorsal fin which mine doesn't. That's according to Bohlke and Smith, 2002.

 

[sacremon]

No idea, then, though I have run across some nice resources in the process of trying to figure out.

http://pbs.bishopmuseum.org/images/JER/images.asp?size=s&cols=2&nm=Gymnothorax

http://www.snipview.com/q/Gymnothorax

 

[Dmorty217]

No idea, then, though I have run across some nice resources in the process of trying to figure out.

http://pbs.bishopmuseum.org/images/JER/images.asp?size=s&cols=2&nm=Gymnothorax

http://www.snipview.com/q/Gymnothorax

Those are great resources for eel identification

 

[Kynigos]

Thank you Sacremon for those amazing links. They definitely made me realize I need at least a dozen more eels

 

[sacremon]

Just realized on that first link you can do the whole family

http://pbs.bishopmuseum.org/images/JER/images.asp?nm=Muraenidae&loc=&size=s&cols=4

 

[Kynigos]

Yeah it's weird. You can search Muraenidae but not Muraena.

 

[sacremon]

Well, it is a collection of species that he has personally photographed, so I guess he hasn't photographed any Muraena proper.