Maldives Marine Life

Marine life of Maldivian waters

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Laced moray
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Photo: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (view on Wikimedia Commons)

Laced moray

Gymnothorax favagineus

Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).

English
Laced moray
Scientific
Gymnothorax favagineus
Dhivehi
Ven
Group
Eels
Family
Muraenidae (moray eels)
Maximum size
Up to about 3 m (total length)
Depth and habitat
Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 50 m; also enters brackish water
IUCN status
LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2011

Description

One of the largest Indo-Pacific morays, reaching about 3 m, with a white body covered in black blotches that form a honeycomb pattern; the proportion of black varies between individuals. It lives on reef flats and outer slopes and is often seen with cleaner wrasses or shrimps at its hole.

Sources

  • fishbase.se /summary/Gymnothorax-favagineus.html
  • fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=5391&GenusName=Gymnothorax&SpeciesNam
  • commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Morena_leopardo_(Gymnothorax_favagineus),_islas_Ad_Dimaniya

Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Ven' (Latin script). FLAG: single source. FLAG: generic name for the group, not species-specific.