Murène sidérale, Murène poivrée, Murène grise des flaques, Painted moray, Bar-cheeked eel, Black-speckled reef-eels, Speckled sidereal moray, Peppered moray, Ocellate moray, Verfspikkel-bontpaling, Tüpfelmuräne, Pfeffer-muräne, Moreia sideral, Morena pecas pintura, Morena pimienta, Ase-utsubo, アセウツボ, 細點雙犁海鱔, 花斑星鯙, Cá Lịch, 

Synonymes
Gymnothorax hilonis (Jordan & Evermann, 1903)
Gymnothorax picta (Ahl, 1789)
Gymnothorax pictus kowanensis (Aoyagi, 1943)
Gymnothorax thomsoni (Borodin, 1928)
Muraena atomaria (Solander, 1848)
Muraena elegantissima (Kaup, 1857)
Muraena erythroptera (Solander, 1848)
Muraena lita (Richardson, 1848)
Muraena picta (Ahl, 1789)
Muraena pfeifferi (Bleeker, 1853)
Muraena polyophthalmus (Bleeker, 1858)
Muraena pratberon (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Muraena siderea (Richardson, 1848)
Muraena variegata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Muraenophis pantherina (Lacepède, 1803)
Siderea picta (Ahl, 1789)
Siderea pictus (Ahl, 1789)
Sideria picta (Ahl, 1789)

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Description
Vertebrae: predorsal: 7-11, preanal: 56–62, total: 113-135; Preanal length: 1.9-2.2 in TL, head long: 7.0-8.3 in TL, body depth at gill opening: 15-22 in TL and body depth at anus: 16-28 in TL. Snout length: 5.3-7.4 in HL, upper jaw: 2.5-3.3 in HL, and eye diameter: 8.4-16.0 in HL. Teeth short and stout, no long canines; Intermaxillary teeth in 3 rows, with up to 3 stout median teeth; Maxillary teeth uniserial; Vomerine teeth in staggered row in juveniles, biserial and diverging anteriorly in adults; Dentary teeth biserial anteriorly. Max. length: 140.0 cm TL. Depth range: 0 - 100 m, usually: 0 - 20 m.

Color
Variable, usually light tan or gray, usually finely speckled with small dark spots, often grouped to form irregular blotches, sometimes with pale centers, sometimes with irregular edges forming a snowflake-like pattern. Some specimens are dark with large spots and narrow interspaces. Iris yellowish white with irregular black circle at margin.

Etymology
Gymnothorax: from Greek, gymnos = naked + from Greek, thorax, -akos = breast. The genus was created in 1795 by Bloch who indicated: "The fishes of this genus are recognized by the fact that they have no pectoral fins". This characteristic is one of the main marks of the genus, allowing to distinguish it from the eels in which Linnaeus classified the moray eels. The name of the genus thus refers explicitly to the absence of pectoral fins = chest without fins.
pictus: from Latin, pingo = I paint, having been decorated, painted, portrayed. Referring to lavish coloration, with brown to dark-brown speckling, as if spotted with paint.
Original description: Muraena picta Ahl, 1789 - Type locality: In Indiæ Orientalis (Indonesia).

Distribution
Red Sea; Indo-Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles, Comoros, Mayotte (France), Madagascar and western Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius), east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.), Clipperton Island (France) and Panama, north to southern Japan, south to North West Cape (Western Australia), Queensland (Australia) to 23°30'S, New Caledonia, and Kermadec Islands.

Biology
Adults inhabit reef flats and rocky intertidal shorelines. Feeds mostly on crabs, and also on small fishes and other crustaceans, sometimes leaving the water in pursuit of prey. Benthic. Simultaneous hermaphroditism is confirmed for this species. Caught with various nets. Solitary. Reports of ciguatera poisoning.

Last update: 26, May 2024