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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
Edibility
Commonly eaten

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.

Where does the Honeycomb moray live?

The Honeycomb moray lives in brackish water and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

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.

Is the Honeycomb moray edible?

Yes, the Honeycomb moray is commonly eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Honingraat-murene sourced
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 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
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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