Species: Muraena pavonina, Flagged Moray, Whitespot Moray

Muraena pavonina Richardson, 1845
Flagged Moray, Whitespot Moray
Body short and stout; snout moderate, more or less conical; top of head between and behind eyes of large individuals with grooves that are adorned with papillae and small leaf-like appendages; tail not tapering, with rounded tip; both nostrils distinctly tubular, rear nostril long and fleshy, longer and broader than front nostril, over front edge of eye; mouth short, jaws not arched, mouth completely closable; lips of large fish with papillae; jaw teeth not serrated, in single row on each jaw in adults, biserial in juveniles, adult with 5-6 large stout teeth at front of top jaw, before a row of 10-20 widely spaced triangular teeth; lower jaw with 13-15 teeth, front 2-4 the largest; roof of mouth with 3 large depressible fangs at front (last is largest tooth in mouth) then a space and a row of 6-11 small teeth (fewer in larger individuals); gill opening a small slit on mid-side; head and trunk shorter than tail; dorsal fin origin before gill opening; lateral line pores absent except for 1-2 (usually) pores above and before gill opening.
Head and body dark grey-brown with large white spots or polygons, those arranged in 3-5 rows in juvenile; gill opening in a black ring in adult, a dark blotch in juvenile.
Reaches 67 cm.
Lives on reefs.
Depth range: 0-90 m.
E Caribbean to Brazil, the Central Atlantic.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Bottom only
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Bony fishes
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Also in Brazil
- Extends South of GC
- GC non-endemic
- Island (s)
- Island (s) only
- All species
- Residency
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- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 67
- Depth Range Min
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- 0
- Depth Range Max
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- 90