Indian mud moray eel

Indian mud moray eel
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Anguilliformes
Family:	Muraenidae
Genus:	Gymnothorax
Species:	G. tile
Binomial name
Gymnothorax tile (F. Hamilton, 1822)

The Indian mud moray eel, (Gymnothorax tile) is a moray eel found in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It was first named by Hamilton in 1822, and is also commonly known as the freshwater moray or freshwater snowflake eel.

Description

The Indian mud moray is estimated to reach a length of approximately 24 in (0.61 m), and can live up to 30 years. The species is characterized by a gray-brown body covered in speckles that vary in color from golden yellow to white. Gymnothorax tile, like any other moray eel, possesses a second set of jaws, called the pharyngeal jaws, to swallow their prey. The Indian mud moray's eyesight is very poor, and instead of using vision, the species rather relies upon a keen sense of smell and vibrations in the water to detect prey or threats.

Habitat

The wild habitat type of the Indian mud moray is marine neritic. It is most commonly found hidden in debris resting over a soft substrate of mud or sand. It is often found in estuaries but may also enter the lower portions of rivers. While the Indian mud moray typically lives in marine conditions, it travels to fresh water for breeding and spawning.

When kept as pets, Indian mud morays thrive better in brackish water, rather than pure fresh water. Pure fresh water can cause these eels to reject their food and develop a variety of diseases that greatly shorten their life span. It is advisable to place a lid on the aquarium tank, as they are known to have the ability to jump out of tanks.

Diet

Indian mud morays are carnivorous and feed mainly on crustaceans and small fishes. They are, for the most part, a scavenger that may eat dead fish, shrimp, and other such foods. Due to their poor eyesight, Indian mud morays typically do not hunt on a normal basis, but will resort to hunting if there is no other option.

When kept in captivity, these eels can be difficult to feed, due to their tendency to reject food that is not to their liking. Stress can also cause these eels to starve themselves, even to death in some severe cases.

Synonyms

Animals that are considered synonymous to Gymnothorax tile

Name	Discoverer	Year
Gymnothorax borneensis	Bleeker	1863
Lycodontis literata	McClelland	1844
Lycodontis tile	Hamilton	1822
Muraena gracilis	Richardson	1848
Muraena vermiculata	Richardson	1848
Muraenophis tile	Hamilton	1822
Strophidon maculata	McClelland	1844
Strophidon punctata	McClelland	1844
Thyrsoidea microdon	Kaup	1856

Threat to the species

Gymnothorax tile is known from the Indo-West Pacific from India to the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Hawaii, and the Andaman Islands. It appears to be uncommon throughout its range. There are no major threats known to this species, although it may be impacted by coastal development, runoff and habitat degradation in some portions of its distribution. And, though there are no species-specific conservation methods in place for its protection, this species is listed as "Least Concern."

Etymology

Gymnothorax comes from the Ancient Greek γυμνός (gymno-), meaning ‘naked’, and θώραξ (thoraks), meaning ‘breastplate, corslet’ and tile: from the Bengali vernacular name for this species.

Geographic location

Gymnothorax tile is known from the Indo-West Pacific from India east to Queensland, Australia, and including the Andaman Islands, Indonesia and the Philippines. It has been reported from Hawaii, but the specimen is unavailable (Mundy 2005), and thus its presence in Hawaii needs to be verified. It is found from 0–10 m depth.