FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 4 



Gijmnothorax petelli (Bleeker) — broad-banded 

 moray 



The broad-banded moray generally is out of 

 sight within the reef during daylight, but often 

 active in exposed locations after dark (Figure 9). A 

 second species, G. undulatus, similarly forays 

 away from cover at night, but during this study 

 was seen less often than G. petelli. Although no 

 specimens were examined, one G. petelli seen on 

 the reef at night was grasping between its jaws a 

 pufFerfish, Canthigaster jactator. Additional evi- 

 dence of nocturnal habits in G. petelli was given by 

 Chave and Randall ( 197 1), who described it pursu- 

 ing crabs over underwater sand patches at night. 



CONCLUSION. — Gymnothorax petelli is a noc- 

 turnal predator. 



suited to grasping prey, but the zebra moray, like 

 other species of the genus Echidna, has blunt, 

 pebblelike teeth that are suited to crushing prey. 

 Gut contents are consistent with this observation: 

 all four specimens (750: 485-835 mm) taken at 

 various times of the day contained the crushed 

 remains of relatively large crabs — considerably 

 larger than crabs found in comparably sized indi- 

 viduals of Gymnothorax. The zebra moray is a 

 sluggish animal, even for a moray, and is gener- 

 ally secretive. Usually all one sees of this animal, 

 day or night, is a motionless segment of its body, 

 visible at a narrow opening in the reef. 



CONCLUSION. — Echidna zebra captures crus- 

 taceans within reef crevices, taking larger indi- 

 viduals of the more heavily armored prey than do 

 species of Gymnothorax. 



Echidna zebra (Shaw) — zebra moray 



The zebra moray has a blunter snout than the 

 species oi^ Gymnothorax treated above, but its den- 

 tition is even more distinctive. Morays of the 

 genus Gymnothorax have fanglike teeth that are 



General Remarks on Moray Eels 



Morays have been widely considered, collec- 

 tively, as nocturnal animals (e.g. Winn and Bar- 

 dach, 1959; Starck and Davis, 1966; Randall, 



Figure 9. — Gymnothorax petelli, a moray eel, on the reef top at night. 



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