What is this?

[Sculpin]

Shot this yesterday, never seen one before.
Anybody got a name for it?
Taken with Oly 5060.
Got four dives over two days with the battery!
Sculpin.

 

[Cave Diver]

Shot this yesterday, never seen one before.
Anybody got a name for it?
Taken with Oly 5060.
Got four dives over two days with the battery!
Sculpin.

Looks like a spotted moray eel to me.

 

[Sculpin]

Looks like a spotted moray eel to me.

Spotted Moray's don't have the horn things.

 

[mandrake]

Shot this yesterday, never seen one before.
Anybody got a name for it?
Taken with Oly 5060.
Got four dives over two days with the battery!
Sculpin.

Reticulate moray I think. It usually helps a great deal if you mention where you took the photo, so we don't hazard a guess at Indonesian critters when you're actually in Bonaire.

 

[mania]

My first choice was moray before I looked at the picture. When I saw the horns it made me thinking - maybe it's a slug?
At least the horns looks like slug's ones.
Mania

 

[Rick Murchison]

Spotted Moray's don't have the horn things.

Trying to "catch" someone???

I'd say it's probably a "Polygon" Moray AKA a (as Mandrake suggests) "Reticulated" Moray, Gymnothorax polygonius... I prefer "Polygon" as opposed to "Reticulated" since Gymnothorax funebris and Gymnothorax favagineus are also the "Reticulated" Moray, but different fish.
Rick

 

[Sculpin]

Sorry it was taken in Barbados, I have done thousands of dives here and never seen one of these before.
Thanks for the help, checked on fishbase.org and didn't get a result.

 

[H2Andy]

i think this is a Muraena retifera; they are known to have tubular extensions on the nostrils.

however, they would be very, very rare in Barbados (although you say you've never seen another one, so that fits)

do you by chance have another picture that shows the gill opening? it should have a dark spot there if it's an M. retifera

 

[Sculpin]

i think this is a Muraena retifera; they are known to have tubular extensions on the nostrils.

however, they would be very, very rare in Barbados (although you say you've never seen another one, so that fits)

do you by chance have another picture that shows the gill opening? it should have a dark spot there if it's an M. retifera

Check this pic, this may be what you mean, appreciate the help here guys.
Do you know where this is more common? and where I can get more info on it.
Like I said thousands of dives here never seen this before who knows what else is out there!
Sculpin.

 

[H2Andy]

yup, that's it... i'm almost 100% sure that's an M. retifera

they are more common, though by no means plentiful, on the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and north on the east coast of the U.S. to New England.

here's very basic info:

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?id=2618

and here's a picture of one:

http://www.marinelifeimages.com/carib/fishid/pages/eel/pages/FSD565.htm

but note that the "horns" are missing on that picture...