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Whitemouth Moray
Gymnothorax meleagris (Shaw & Nodder, 1795)
A Whitemouth Moray at a depth of 18m, Rapid Horn, Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, December 2000. View larger image.
The Whitemouth Moray is brown to yellow-brown with numerous dark-edged white spots on the head and body. The inside of the mouth and the tip of the tail are white. A black blotch surrounds the gill opening.
This moray grows to 1m in length. It has enlarged canine teeth at the front of the upper jaw.
The Whitemouth Moray is found throughout much of the Indo-Pacific. In Australia it commonly seen by divers on the Great Barrier Reef.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Böhlke, E.B. & J.E. McCosker. 2001. The moray eels of Australia and New Zealand, with the description of two new species (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae). Records of the Australian Museum. 53(1): 71-102.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
