About Gymnothorax favagineus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Gymnothorax favagineus, commonly known as the laced moray, is a large species of moray eel. It can grow to a maximum length of 3 metres, which equals 10 feet, though most specimens found are much smaller than this. It has a serpentine-shaped body, with a base body color ranging from white to yellowish, covered in numerous black spots. The size and shape of these spots vary between individual eels, and also depend on the environment the eels live in: morays that reside on clear-water reefs have fewer black spots than those that live in turbid environments. This distinct characteristic color pattern is what gives the species its common vernacular name. The laced moray has a wide distribution across the Indo-West Pacific region. Its range extends from the eastern coast of Africa, including the Red Sea, east to Papua New Guinea, and from southern Japan south to the Great Barrier Reef. This species inhabits the outer slopes of coral reefs. During daylight hours, it stays sheltered within reef crevices at depths between 1 and 45 metres, or 3.3 and 147.6 feet.
