Species: Uropterygius supraforatus, Many-toothed snake-moray

Uropterygius supraforatus (Regan, 1909)

Many-toothed snake-moray

Slender, moderately elongate, compressed at rear; relatively stout (body depth 5-8% of TL); tail slightly longer than head & trunk; snout short, ~ conical; eye moderate, over middle of jaws; front nostril tubular; rear nostril a short tube above middle of eye; gill opening a small slit at ~ mid side; pores above & below eye, along lower jaw, 1 before gill opening; teeth conical, slender, sharp; jaw teeth numerous, in 4-7 irregular rows, middle row enlarged; 1 row of large teeth at front of roof of mouth; a single lateral line pore above gill opening; dorsal & anal fins present as skin covered ridges near tip of tail.

Ground color white to pale creamy yellow to tan; head & body entirely covered with dispersed, eye-sized dark spots that tend to be arranged in vertical rows; thin, often incomplete, irregular dark lines tend to link up the spots, particularly along the vertical axis.

Size: 40 cm.

Habitat: coral reef.

Depth: 3-35 m.

Indo-Pacific; in the eastern Pacific only at Clipperton.