Perception Channels: tactile ; chemical
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
California moray eels usually won't leave their crevices to attack divers, unless they are aggravated by divers prodding, spearing, or capturing them. Since they do have numerous razor sharp teeth they can inflict serious lacerations on a diver if they do bite (Eschmeyer 1983).
The California moray is popular aesthetic fish among the diving community. Unlike some other eels, Gymnothorax mordax is not poisonous to humans and, therefore, can be eaten (Eschmeyer 1983).
Nocturnal predator on small reef fishes, octopi, shrimp, crabs, lobster, and sea urchins (Bushing 2000). Gymnothorax mordax uses its well developed sense of smell to hunt their prey (PBS 2000).
Distribution ranges from Magdalena Bay, Baja, California, north to Point Conception (Bushing 2000). The population density of the Gymnothorax mordax is greater in southern California with the highest densities in Southern Channel Islands, and Catalina (R.E.E.F. 2000).
Biogeographic Regions: pacific ocean (Native )
Inhabits cracks and crevices within rocky reefs in the subtidal zone to 40m (UCLA), but is usually found at 0.6-20m (Eschmeyer 1983).
Aquatic Biomes: reef
Gymnothorax mordax has a snake-like body, with no scales or lateral line (Eschmeyer 1983). Coloration is light or dark brown, to green, often mottled. Lack of pectoral and pelvic fins distinguishes it from all other eel-like fishes. The California Moray has numerous canine-type teeth that are translucent in the juvenile. A round gill opening is present, however respiration requires the moray to constantly open and close its mouth to push oxygenated water over their gills. A full grown adult can reach up to 152cm or 5ft (UCLA 2000).
Other Physical Features: bilateral symmetry
Gymnothorax mordax reproduces by external fertilization. Eggs hatch into a specialized planktonic larva called a leptocehalus that eventually settle to the bottom. Juvenile morays can be found in tidal pools, but upon maturation seek deeper water. Very little is know about the leptocephali and juvenile stages of their life cycle, because most specimens found are probably over thiry years old (Eschmeyer 1983). It is hypothesized that the morays off the coast of southern California do not reproduce because the water is too cold. Instead the ocean currents bring the leptocehalali north from Baja California, which then settled out of the upper water column to mature in southern California. The life span of the California moray is speculated to be thirty years or more (UCLA 2000).
The California moray (Gymnothorax mordax) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific from just north of Santa Barbara to Santa Maria Bay in Baja California.[2] They are the only species of moray eel found off California, and one of the few examples of a subtropical moray. They typically occupy boulder or cobble habitats up to 40 m in depth.[3] They can attain lengths of about 5 ft (1.52 m) and are believed to live for upwards of 22–26 years.[4] Like other morays, they have no pelvic or pectoral fins or gill covers.
California morays are a common sight on rocky reefs surrounding islands in southern California (notably, Catalina Island in the California Channel Islands) and other islands in the Pacific.[5] Their geographic distribution extends from Point Conception, California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California.[6][7]
California moray juveniles can live in tide pools while adults live in deeper waters.[8] Adult California morays have high site fidelity, remaining in the same general location throughout their adult lives.[9]
The California moray has a distinct mutualistic symbiotic relationship with red rock shrimp where the cleaner shrimp clean the moray.[10] The red rock shrimp aggregate in large populations on the moray.[11] In addition to cleaning, the cleaner shrimp help kills parasites within the mouth cavity and have been found to reach the stomach to feed on parasites.[12]
The California moray is thought to be primarily piscivorous, and appears to specialize in the kelp bass, Paralabrax clathratus.[13] However, they are opportunistic predators whose diet also consists of invertebrate prey such as octopuses, lobsters, other California morays, and red rock shrimp.[3][14]
The California moray is the apex predator in the reef, its natural habitat, as they have few natural predators and face no intense competition for prey. They are thought to be nocturnal hunters due to their elusiveness in the daytime.[15]
Although many fishes have highly expandable skulls and can use suction feeding to capture prey, the fused skulls of morays prevents this.[8] Instead, California morays (like other moray eels) have a special set of pharyngeal jaws that allows prey to be transported from their mouths into their throats. These pharyngeal jaws look like miniature versions of the oral jaws and are more mobile than pharyngeal jaws in the other fishes.[16] As an additional aid to prey transport, they have a set of depressible teeth in the roof of their mouths that fold upward as prey is swallowed.[17] Despite the bite force of the California moray varying from 32N and 467N, morays do not exhibit a preference for certain food types based on their relative bite force.[18]
The California moray's prey manipulation behaviors, including consumption and transportation, also do not vary depending on prey type. However, the time spent on prey manipulation behaviors increases as prey size increases.[19] The California moray spends more time feeding as the size of the fish and cephalopods increases. However, when consuming a cephalopod, the California moray spends a greater proportion of time on transportation than feeding. Moreover, prey size increases with the size of the individual California moray.[20] When it comes time for the moray to feed on a cephalopod, like an octopus, the cephalopod will resist by latching on the head of the moray with its tentacles. To counter the cephalopod, the moray will twist and rotate its body so the tentacles can unhinge off the body so the moray can eat the cephalopod.[21] As a California moray grows, its prey becomes larger and it stops consuming smaller organisms.
California moray
California moray
California moray
The California moray is believed to mate and spawn in the warm waters off the coast of Baja Mexico, with larvae being transported northward to California during winter or El Niño Southern Oscillation events. At least one study has proposed that this species is non-reproductive in the most northern parts of its range due to the water temperature being too cold for gonadal development.[22] A study used otoliths (ear bones) of California morays from Catalina Island to estimate individuals' ages, which cross-referenced with data from the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) and revealed that the majority of individuals examined likely only arrived on Catalina Island due to an El Niño Southern Oscillation event.[23] During an ENSO event, larvae drifted north due to the northward-flowing Davidson Current. The fertilization of eggs occurs in the water, and although the pelagic larval duration (PLD) of larval G. mordax is unknown, studies on related species suggest that the larval state persists in the open ocean for several months before settling to reefs.[24]
Human attacks due to the California moray are very rare but possible when venturing near them. California morays are not venomous, but they have the capability of causing deep puncture wounds with their bite. Injuries can become infected [25]
The California moray is classified by the IUCN Red List as a species of least concern.[26] The California moray is not commercially fished, but the species does face threats from pollution and habitat degradation.[8]
However, despite their stability, California morays have still been the subject of conservation efforts. A recent study has connected the conservation efforts in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to ecological impacts on California moray populations.[14] Within MPAs, California morays were found to be longer, older, heavier, had higher body condition, and were found in greater abundance. However, too great of an abundance was also connected to higher frequencies of cannibalism, the presence of disease, and lower growth rates.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is classified of least concern. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) The California moray (Gymnothorax mordax) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific from just north of Santa Barbara to Santa Maria Bay in Baja California. They are the only species of moray eel found off California, and one of the few examples of a subtropical moray. They typically occupy boulder or cobble habitats up to 40 m in depth. They can attain lengths of about 5 ft (1.52 m) and are believed to live for upwards of 22–26 years. Like other morays, they have no pelvic or pectoral fins or gill covers.
