Species: Chlopsis dentatus, Banded False Moray, Mottled False Moray

Chlopsis dentatus (Seale, 1917)

Mottled False Moray, Banded False Moray

Moderately elongate, slightly compressed; snout bluntly pointed; large eyes; front nostril tubular, points downward; rear nostril opens on outside of top lip under front edge of eye, but concealed by a flap; mouth moderately large, extends just behind eye; no flange on either lip; jaw teeth small, slender, conical, a round patch at front of top jaws; upper and lower jaw teeth in 2 rows, inner row larger; 2 series of teeth on center of roof of mouth that begin a little behind the patch at front of top jaws, those rows diverge in center and converge to rear; dorsal origin over or slightly behind gill opening; gill opening small, oval, lateral; pectoral fins absent; dorsal and anal fins well developed, continuous with tail fin; 1 lateral line pore on upper gill area, 5-6 along lower jaw.

Dark brown, pale along throat and belly; head from eye back and upper body and tail with pale blotches, bars and mottling; dorsal and anal fins dark, mottled with pale marks.

Reaches 20 cm.

Rock and rubble.

Depth range: 64-366 m.

The E & W Atlantic: Bermuda to Brazil; records from the Indo-W Pacific are errors.