Moray Eel in HI

[Xta]

I spotted a few of these in Hawaii, and I'm having trouble identifying which kind of Moray it is. The closest I can come to is a White Mouth Moray, but I don't believe that is correct. The White Mouth has more of a polka dot pattern, and this one is more... blobby?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLoks_6LMW4/

 

[T.C.]

Which island?

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Looks like the Turkey Moray, Gymnothorax meleagris.

 

[Xta]

Which island?

Big Island, we were diving near Kona.

Looks like the Turkey Moray, Gymnothorax meleagris.

Are they different from White Mouth? When I do a google search for Turkey Moray both come up. I think it's the slightly yellowish tinge on the snout, and the blobby spots vs. Circular spots that are throwing me off... I remember when taking the photo, I thought it was different from the other White Mouth Morays I had been seeing.

 

[Hoyden]

I hate common names for Indo-pacific fish. there is a different name on every island - I think that what you have is a Gymnothorax favagineus. I am fairly sure that it is not a Gymnothorax meleagris. The pattern is wrong. This is a favagineus:

This is a meleagris:

 

[scubakate]

I spotted a few of these in Hawaii, and I'm having trouble identifying which kind of Moray it is. The closest I can come to is a White Mouth Moray, but I don't believe that is correct. The White Mouth has more of a polka dot pattern, and this one is more... blobby?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLoks_6LMW4/

Aloha--this is also a whitemouth, just with a different color pattern. These guys are usually smaller than the regular whitemouths we see around here. I always enjoy seeing the uniquely colored ones!

 

[tursiops]

I hate common names for Indo-pacific fish. there is a different name on every island - I think that what you have is a Gymnothorax favagineus. I am fairly sure that it is not a Gymnothorax meleagris. The pattern is wrong. This is a favagineus:
View attachment 644023

This is a meleagris:
View attachment 644024

Humann et al have this picture

but say it is not known in Hawaii.

 

[tursiops]

Aloha--this is also a whitemargin, just with a different color pattern. These guys are usually smaller than the regular whitemouths we see around here. I always enjoy seeing the uniquely colored ones!

Humann et all have this ID for a white-margined moray:

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I hate common names for Indo-pacific fish. there is a different name on every island - I think that what you have is a Gymnothorax favagineus. I am fairly sure that it is not a Gymnothorax meleagris. The pattern is wrong. This is a favagineus:
View attachment 644023

This is a meleagris:
View attachment 644024

Favagineus is white with brown spots. Christa's eel is brown with white spots, more like meleagris.
https://twitter.com/Hawaiianimages/status/1062043339577470976/photo/1

 

[scubakate]

Humann et all have this ID for a white-margined moray:
View attachment 644101

*I accidentally put whitemargin first, but I meant whitemouth.