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Castle's moray (Gymnothorax castlei) — Muraenidae

Castle's moray

Gymnothorax castlei
Family: Muraenidae

The Castle's moray (Gymnothorax castlei) is a saltwater fish of the family Muraenidae that grows up to 23 cm.

Length
22.9 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
18.0–21.0 m
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Snake-like
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
May bite
Edibility
Commonly eaten

Description

The Castle's moray is a moray eel (Muraenidae) from reef water of the Indo-West Pacific. The species grows to about 50 cm and has an elongate, muscular, scaleless, eel-like body without pectoral fins, a long dorsal fin margin and a strong mouth. As a nocturnal ambush predator it shelters by day with only its head out of a crevice and hunts fish and crustaceans by night. When disturbed or handled it can give a deep, tearing bite; keep hands out of crevices.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Castle's moray?

The Castle's moray has a snake-like body and is mainly brown.

Where does the Castle's moray live?

The Castle's moray lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Castle's moray get?

The Castle's moray grows to a maximum of about 23 cm.

Is the Castle's moray dangerous to humans?

The Castle's moray can bite, but is otherwise not dangerous to humans.

Is the Castle's moray edible?

Yes, the Castle's moray is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Castles murene sourced
English name
Castle's moray sourced
Scientific name
Gymnothorax castlei
Family
Muraenidae

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
22.9 verified
Body shape
Snake-like sourced
Dominant colour
Brown sourced
Tail shape
Straight inferred

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
18.0 verified
Max depth (m)
21.0 verified
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Social behaviour
Solitary inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten inferred
Fishing method
Vissen met natuurlijk aas (vis, garnaal, worm) of kunstaas dicht bij rif- en rotsstructuren. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
May bite verified

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Gymnothorax

More from the family Muraenidae

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