Yellowhead Moray

Gymnothorax rueppelliae, commonly known as the banded moray, banded reef eel, or Rüppell's moray eel, is a marine species inhabiting tropical coral reef environments. This species is characterized by its pale grey to greyish-brown body adorned with 16-21 distinct dark bars. Notably, it features a bright yellow head and a dark spot located at the corner of the mouth.

Gymnothorax rueppelliae can be distinguished from its close relative, Gymnothorax pikei, primarily by its reduced number of vomerine teeth. The banded moray typically attains a maximum length of 80 cm.

Geographically, this species is distributed across a wide range, from the 🌊 Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii (🇺🇸 United States), Tuamotu (🇵🇫 French Polynesia), the Marquesas Islands (🇵🇫 French Polynesia), north to the Ryukyu Islands (🇯🇵 Japan), and south to the Great Barrier Reef.

Primarily nocturnal, Gymnothorax rueppelliae occupies depths ranging from 1 to 40 meters, where it predominantly preys upon fish, crabs, and shrimp.