Indian mud moray eel

Indian mud moray eel
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Muraenidae
Genus:	Gymnothorax
Species:	G. tile
Binomial name
Gymnothorax tile (F. Hamilton, 1822)

The Indian mud moray eel, (Gymnothorax tile) is a moray eel found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans.^[1] It was first named by Hamilton in 1822,^[1] and is also commonly known as the freshwater moray or freshwater snowflake eel.

Description[]

It is said to reach a length of about 24 in (0.61 m). These eels can live up to 30 years. The species is characterized by a black body with orange and white speckles covering the length of the body. Gymnothorax tile, like any other moray eel, possesses a second set of jaws, called the pharyngeal jaws, to swallow their prey. This eel also possesses terrible eyesight, and instead relies upon a keen sense of smell and vibrations in the water to detect prey or approaching threats.

Habitat[]

The habitat type of freshwater moray is marine neritic. It is most commonly found in debris over soft substrate of mud or sand. It often occurs in estuaries but may also enter the lower portions of rivers.^[2] It lives in marine conditions, but travels to fresh water for breeding and spawning.

When kept as pets, Indian mud morays actually thrive better in brackish water, rather than pure fresh water. It is advisable to place a lid on the tank as they are known to have the ability to jump out of aquarium tanks.^[3]

Diet[]

They are found solitary and feed on crustaceans and small fishes. It is for the most part a scavenger that eats dead fish, shrimp, and other such foods. Due to its poor eyesight, this eel does not hunt on a normal basis, but will resort to hunting if there is no other option.

Synonyms[]

Threat to the species[]

Gymnothorax tile is known from the Indo-West Pacific from India to the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Hawaii, and the Andaman Islands. It appears to be uncommon throughout its range. There are no major threats known to this species, although it may be impacted by coastal development and habitat degradation. While there are no species-specific conservation measures in place for the protection of this species, its range overlaps with several marine protected areas. It is listed as Least Concern.

There are no major threats known to this species, although it may be impacted by coastal development, runoff and habitat degradation in some portions of its distribution.^[2]

Etymology[]

Gymnothorax comes from the Ancient Greek γυμνός (gymno-), meaning ‘naked’, and θώραξ (thoraks), meaning ‘breastplate, corslet’ and tile: from the Bengali vernacular name for this species.^[4]

Geographic location[]

Gymnothorax tile is known from the Indo-West Pacific from India east to Queensland, Australia, and including the Andaman Islands, Indonesia and the Philippines. It has been reported from Hawaii, but the specimen is unavailable (Mundy 2005), and thus its presence in Hawaii needs to be verified. It is found from 0-10 m depth.^[2][5]

References[]

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