Fimbriated moray
Gymnothorax fimbriatus
Yellow-edged moray
Gymnothorax flavimarginatus
About
The yellow-edged moray is a large moray eel found on Indo-Pacific reefs. It can grow up to 240 cm long, though a more typical length is much shorter.
Also known as: speckled moray, yellow-edged moray, yellow margin moray, yellow-margin moray, yellow-margined moray, yellow-margined moray eel, yellow-edged moray, yellow-margin moray, leopard eel, speckled moray, yellow-margined moray, yellowmargin moray, yellow edged moray, moray eel, yellowedged moray, yellow margin moray, yellow-margined moray eel, yellow-edged moray eel, yellowmargin moray
- Length
- 2.4 m
- Depth
- up to 150 m
How to tell it apart
Look for a dull yellow, densely mottled eel with a purplish-grey head and a clear black blotch right at the gill opening, often seen with just its head poking out of a crevice.
Appearance
Like other moray eels, it has a long, slender body, a bulbous head, and a tail that tapers gradually. Its base colour is dull yellow, densely mottled with dark brown to black over most of the body. The head is purplish-grey, and there is a large black blotch at the gill opening. The edges of the fins toward the tail end are yellowish or greenish. Young fish can be a brighter yellow with brown blotches.
Habitat
It lives in coral or rocky areas on reef flats and along the sheltered sides of seaward reefs, from shallow water down to about 150 m.
Did you know?
It has recently been identified as a natural predator of the invasive lionfish in its native Red Sea habitat, one of the few reef animals known to hunt this well-defended, venomous-spined fish.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
