Species: Gymnothorax nigromarginatus, Blackedge Moray

Gymnothorax nigromarginatus (Girard, 1858)

Blackedge Moray

Body elongate, compressed at rear; tail tapering; head elongate, snout moderate and blunt; mouth short; head and trunk shorter than to slightly >1/2 TL; eye large, over middle of mouth; front nostril a simple tube; rear nostril a hole at level of profile of head; lower jaw straight, mouth closes completely; teeth large, triangular, compressed, serrated, in a single series on jaws; top front of mouth with 1 tooth at center and 2 large teeth on each side behind that, then 8-10 main jaw teeth on each side, those becoming increasingly smaller at rear; back of roof of mouth with a row of small, conical hidden teeth; lower jaw with 9-16 teeth on each side, the first 4 abruptly larger than those behind; gill opening round; dorsal and anal fins covered with skin, but evident; dorsal origin on head, before gill opening; 3 pores along top jaw.

Brown, with uniform sized, well separated small white to yellow spots on upper head and body; lower head and belly pale; a dark ring around eye; dorsal and anal fins with body pattern on inner half and dark margins; tip of tail pale.

Reaches 99 cm.

Lives on soft bottoms and seagrass beds.

Depth range: 10-100 m.

Transatlantic, the eastern USA, Brazil.