| Habitat | Reproduction |
| Behavior | Diver Interaction |

Scott Michael Photo

Alternate Common Names:
golden moray

Family Name:
MURAENIDAE
Click Name for Family Profile

Size:
This species attains a maximum length of 60 cm (23.6 inches).

Distribution:
Southern Florida and Bermuda, south to Brazil and east across the Atlantic to St. Paul Rocks, Ascension, St. Helena and the Cape Verde Islands.

Habitat:
The goldentail moray is a resident of lagoons and shallow coastal reefs. It typically occurs at depths of less than 15 m (49 feet), living in medium-sized coral colonies on sandy substrate or among smaller corals on reef rock.

Distinguishing Characteristics:
The body and head of most individuals are brown with numerous, small yellow spots, while the tail is tipped with yellow or gold. An occasional specimen may be yellow overall, with irregular black markings or brown spots. This rarer color variety was once thought to be a distinct species known as Gymnothorax flavopicta. The taxonomic status of the goldentail moray is still in question.

Remarks:

References:
Abrams et al. (1983), Randall (1983)

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