tessellate moray

The entire snake-like body of the tessellate moray is white and covered with dark brown spots of varying shapes, resembling the leopard's fur. Young individuals have wider spots compared to adults. The inside of the mouth is also spotted, which distinguishes it from the guineafowl moray (Gymnothorax meleagris) and the yellow-mouthed moray (Gymnothorax nudivomer) that have a similar pattern.

It is, however, harder to distinguish from Gymnothorax isingteena that has the same pattern with smaller and more scattered spots, and from the spotted moray (Gymnothorax moringa) which also has the same pattern with smaller and very dense spots.

Like its relatives, it breathes through gill pores on each side of its head, which can be seen as black holes when open.

Like all moray eels, Gymnothorax favagineus is a solitary fish that inhabits crevices in reefs and rocks. While generally calm with other species, it does not tolerate any intruders in its hiding place, except for cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) and cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus) that help clean its carnivorous teeth. Among themselves, adults can be aggressive if they share the same territory.

A true predator, the tessellate moray hunts stealthily from its hole or roams the reefs at night, searching for fish or cephalopods. Highly flexible, it has been observed in northwest Australia cleverly using its tail as a lever to access food. It seems that moray eels can use their sinuous bodies as a true tool to uncover hidden prey within the structures of coral reefs.

The tessellate moray is an oviparous fish that reproduces in pairs. Males can be aggressive to approach a female, and once the pair is formed, the male and female embrace at the bottom of the water before spawning. Like their counterparts, the eggs are carried away by currents after laying, and the larvae become part of the zooplankton.