The slender giant moray or Gangetic moray, Strophidon sathete, is the longest member of the family of moray eels. It is in the genus Strophidon. The longest recorded specimen was caught in 1927, on the Maroochy River in Queensland; it measured 3.94 metres (12.9 ft) [1][2] This species is characterized by an elongated body, as well as brownish-grey dorsal coloration which pales towards the venter.

Giant slender bodied moray
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Anguilliformes
Family: Muraenidae
Genus: Strophidon
Species:
S. sathete
Binomial name
Strophidon sathete
(F. Hamilton, 1822)
Synonyms
  • Thyrsoidea macrura (Bleeker, 1854)
  • Evenchelys macrurus (Jordan & Evermann, 1902)
Slender giant moray depiction from 1911

Distribution and habitat

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The slender giant moray is found in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean from the Red Sea and East Africa to the western Pacific. It generally lives in the benthic muddy environments of marine and estuarine areas, including inner bays and rivers.

References

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  1. ^ Marshall 1927, p. 107.
  2. ^ Böhlke 1997, p. 107.

Notes

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  • Böhlke, Eugenia B. (1997), "Notes on the Identity of Elongate Unpatterned Indo-Pacific Morays, with Description of a New Species (Muraenidae, Subfamily Muraninae)", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. 147, pp. 89–109
  • Böhlke, Eugenia B. (1995), "Notes on the Muraenid Genera Strophidon, Lycodontis, Siderea, Thyrsoidea, and Pseudechidna, with a Redescription of Muraena thyrsoidea Richardson, 1845", Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. 146, pp. 459–466
  • Marshall, T. C. (1927), "Ichthyological Notes No. 2", Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, vol. 9, 1, pp. 107–108
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