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Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) — Muraenidae

Honeycomb moray

Gymnothorax favagineus
Family: Muraenidae

The Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Muraenidae that grows up to 300 cm.

Length
300 cm
Water
Brackish
Depth
1.0–50.0 m
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Nocturnal
Body shape
Snake-like
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
May bite
Range
Asia: Australia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan/Ch Taipei, Comoros, Mayotte and others
Edibility
Commonly eaten

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Description

The Honeycomb moray is a moray (Muraenidae) from the Indo-Pacific. The species grows to about 300 cm and has a robust, snake-shaped, scaleless body. The white body is covered with a dense honeycomb pattern of black blotches; it is one of the largest morays. As a secretive reef predator it hides in crevices of coral and rocky reefs by day and seizes fish, crustaceans and squid at night. It bites fiercely when disturbed; handle with care.

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Honeycomb moray?

The Honeycomb moray has a snake-like body, is mainly white and shows a spots pattern. Can bite with sharp teeth or powerful jaws; handle with care.

Where does the Honeycomb moray live?

The Honeycomb moray lives in brackish water and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground. Asia: Australia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan/Ch Taipei, Comoros, Mayotte and others

How big does the Honeycomb moray get?

The Honeycomb moray grows to a maximum of about 300 cm.

Is the Honeycomb moray dangerous to humans?

The Honeycomb moray can bite, but is otherwise not dangerous to humans. Do not feed or reach into crevices. For a bite: rinse the wound thoroughly with clean water, apply firm pressure to stop bleeding and cover with a sterile dressing. Moray bites are deep and prone to infection: always have them assessed medically and check tetanus status.

Is the Honeycomb moray edible?

Yes, the Honeycomb moray is commonly eaten.

More photos

Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) — Muraenidae — 2
Wikimedia Commons — H. Zell (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) — Muraenidae — 3
Paul Varotsis (CC BY-NC 4.0) via GBIF — iNaturalist
Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) — Muraenidae — 4
iNaturalist ((c) buzzinthebox, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC))
Honeycomb moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) — Muraenidae — 5
Wikimedia Commons — jon hanson from london, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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All data

Identification

English name
Honeycomb moray sourced
Scientific name
Gymnothorax favagineus
Family
Muraenidae
Other names
Black-blotched moray; Black-blotched reef-eel; Blackspotted moray; Black-spotted moray; Laced moray; Reticulated moray; Bukkaia; Coral eel; Giraffe eel; Tesselated moray eel; Tessellate moray; Tessellated eel verified

Appearance

Size class
Extra large verified
Max length (cm)
300.0 verified
Body shape
Snake-like sourced
Dominant colour
White sourced
Pattern
Spots sourced
Tail shape
Straight inferred

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Brackish sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
1.0 verified
Max depth (m)
50.0 verified
Natural range
Asia: Australia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Taiwan/Ch Taipei, Comoros, Mayotte and others sourced
Origin
Native inferred

Behaviour & biology

Social behaviour
Solitary inferred
Territorial
No inferred
Activity
Nocturnal sourced
Reproduction
Separate sexes inferred
Sexual dimorphism
No inferred
Seasonality
Present year-round in its habitat; no pronounced seasonality known. inferred
Special features
Can bite with sharp teeth or powerful jaws; handle with care. inferred

For anglers

Edibility
Commonly eaten inferred
Fishing method
Fishing with natural bait (fish, shrimp, worm) or lures close to reef and rock structures. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
May bite verified
First aid
Do not feed or reach into crevices. For a bite: rinse the wound thoroughly with clean water, apply firm pressure to stop bleeding and cover with a sterile dressing. Moray bites are deep and prone to infection: always have them assessed medically and check tetanus status. sourced

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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