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Gymnothorax

Gymnothorax is a genus of fish in the family Muraenidae found in Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. With more than 120 species, it the most speciose genus of moray eels.

Gymnothorax as currently recognized is polyphyletic, and comparative studies are needed before action is taken to resurrect generic synonyms of Gymnothorax.

Description

Species in this genus are slender (most skinny one being Gymnothorax gracilicauda) as are most eels. They grow to . On the opposite end of the spectrum, some species only grow to a maximum size of less than . Many species have complex patterns, but many others are quite bland without much coloration on their bodies. Moray eel species, inevitably applying to Gymnothorax owing to its high diversity, are often found in generally shallow-water habitats, but many species are also found in deep water, being more common in those environments than previously thought.

Like all moray eels, they have pharyngeal jaws.

Species

Both FishBase and World Register of Marine Species recognize a total of 128 valid species in the genus. However, each database includes three species that the other does not list, which are noted in the list below.

Notes

References