Muraenidae

Honeycomb moray

Gymnothorax favagineus

Honeycomb markings awaiting cleaners in reef holes

• Black
• White
• Yellow
• Tropical
• Globally widespread
• Marine fish
• Anguilliform
• Compressed cross-section
• Large
• Tropical fish

Patterned like a magnificent aquatic leopard, the honeycomb moray is an imposing apex predator inhabiting rocky and coral reef ramparts across the tropical Indo-West Pacific. Its massive, muscular serpentine body is bathed in a pale yellowish-white base color completely covered with large, dark polygonal black blotches separated by narrow white borders, creating an intricate honeycomb mosaic that multiplies with age. Heavy, curved jaws are crowded with needle-sharp canine teeth capable of seizing slippery prey with crushing authority. Distributed from the Red Sea and South Africa through Southeast Asia and the Great Barrier Reef to southern Japan, it establishes permanent dens within limestone caverns and outer reef drop-offs between one and fifty meters depth. A secretive ambush hunter, it rests during daylight hours with its gaping head protruding from reef crevices, rhythmic pumping of its mouth maintaining respiratory water flow over its gills. After twilight, it slithers across reef crests to hunt octopuses, cuttlefish, and sleeping teleost fishes. Cleaner wrasses and shrimps are welcomed guests inside its lair. Maximum total length attains one hundred and eighty centimetres.

Sources: Australian Museum — Honeycomb Moray, Gymnothorax favagineus