That's a Moray Monday

Since last week's weak (and apparently too faggy) installment of Moray Monday, I've decided to pull out the stops with one of my favorite moray species. So lest I start lisping and breaking out into Broadway tunes, let's get on with the show.

Dragon Moray Eel
Enchelycore pardalis
formerly Muraena pardalis

This is without a doubt the holy grail for true moray fans. It's combination of spectacular coloration, fleshy ornamentation of the head, and overall formidable appearance make it a particularly coveted sighting among divers. Unfortunately, the Dragon moray is also a highly prized species for the salt water aquarium trade. The unfortunate aspect is that the species tends to be somewhat high maintenance and delicate in captivity, resulting in a relatively high mortality rate. However, this only increases fishing demand for a species whose fisheries capacity is not well characterized.

The name Enchelycore is derived from the Greek word enchelys (eel), and kore (pupil). Pupil eel? I think I prefer Dragon. The Dragon moray grows to lengths of approximately 92 cm. (36 inches). This tropical moray can be found in coral and rocky reef systems in the Indo-Pacific (from Hawaii to southern Japan, and southward to central Polynesia).

This eel used to be grouped in the Mureana genus, but was changed in about 1988 to the Enchelycore genus. Other names that appear in books for this eel include Muraena lampra, M. kailuae, and M. kauila, all of which are now obsolete. I suppose that's the great dread for working systematists out there. You go through all the work to describe a new species, get to name it, publish a monograph, then have your baby snatched away. Ah, the march of science.

Perhaps part of the naming confusion stems from the fact that the Dragon moray passes through different color and pattern changes as it grows into maturity. Its most striking features include its bright yellow, orange-red, or black and white colorations, unusual patterns on the body, sharp pointed head and distinctive "horns" above the eyes. It is without a doubt an eel that cannot be mistaken for any other.

Preferred food for this moray includes small fish, crabs, shrimps, and squids. The Dragon Eel is a very aggressive species with a mouth full of large, sharp, needle-like teeth, and a bottom jaw that cannot close because it is curved. Due to this eel's aggressive and predatory nature it is often difficult to keep in tropical aquaria with other marine life, including other eels. It is also something of an escape artist, able to force-open aquarium covers or follow filtration tubes to a short lived freedom. Can you say Finding Nemo? Although aggressive in aquarium settings, in the wild the Dragon moray is rather shy and reclusive.