The Indian mud moray eel, (''Gymnothorax tile'') is a

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family (biology), family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively Marine (ocean), marine, but several species are regu ...

found in the western

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

and

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

s. 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 , 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 jaw Pharyngeal jaws are a "second set" of jaws contained within an animal's throat, or pharynx, distinct from the primary or oral jaws. They are believed to have originated as modified gill arches, in much the same way as oral jaws. Originally hypoth ...

s, 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 A shrimp (: shrimp (American English, US) or shrimps (British English, UK)) is a crustacean with an elongated body and a primarily Aquatic locomotion, swimming mode of locomotion – typically Decapods belonging to the Caridea or Dendrobranchi ...

, 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

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.

References

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

Fish described in 1822 {{muraenidae-stub