No photo available
Blackcheek moray
Gymnothorax breedeni
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Blackcheek moray
- Scientific
- Gymnothorax breedeni
- Dhivehi
- Kalhu ven
- Group
- Eels
- Family
- Muraenidae (moray eels)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1 m (total length)
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 4 to 40 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2011
Description
A brown moray with dark speckles and a distinctive black patch below and behind the eye, reaching about 1 m. It lives on steep outer reef walls with plenty of holes and often shares its refuge with swarms of anthias; it can be territorial and may bite if harassed.
In the Maldives
Common on Maldivian outer reef walls and channel walls, where divers often see its head and black cheek patch.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Gymnothorax-breedeni.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=7881&GenusName=Gymnothorax&SpeciesNam
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Gymnothorax_breedeni.JPG
Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Kalhu ven' (Latin script). FLAG: single source.