new eel

[unleashed]

i havent took pics yet but i just picked up a jeweled moray yesterday from my LFS.this guy is a hog already lol.he ate like a pig an hr after i got him home. nice thing is i dont have to stick feed him hes smart enough already to come out and feed with everyone else in the tank he even ate pellets lol. hes about 10-12 inches long.i'll post pics as soon as i can.

..its your fault AW mick seen yours and fell in love .

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by unleashed
its your fault AW mick seen yours and fell in love .
Hey, you tell Mick that I said if you really loved him, you wouldve dropped $2000 on a Hawaiian Dragon!
Congrats on the new Moray. I think it's well past time that we got some more shots of the 300...and I dont mean across the room, full tank shots...I want some close ups!

 

[dme]

Congratulations, you are a new papa and Aw not have a jewel, was it that too you are saying there. What size tank its in and does it have some company?

 

[sunburnt]

Can I interrupt this post with a question? Are the Jeweled and the Mexican Dragon one and the same? What about the Brazilian Dragon? I read that they were, but then I saw a pic labeled as a Jewel, but it was somewhat blurry and did not look to be "horned" as the other Dragons. Confusing without the scientific names!
Can't wait to see a pic, Unleashed!

 

[aw2]

This is a Jeweled Moray (Muraena Lentiginosa)...unleashed did well...they're gorgeous eels:

Here's a larger pic of the "Dragon", often referred to as the Brazilian or Mexican Dragon:

It's often difficult to tell them apart because the names are so common. Jeweled Morays are often called Brazilian Dragons. If you search for Brazilian/Mexican Dragon, you'll mostly find pics of the Jeweled Moray.

 

[sunburnt]

Thank you, Andy. May I call you Andy? ;-)
They're both beautiful. The Jeweled has a gorgeous pattern, and the Mex Dragon has that adorable face with the "horns"...

 

[aw2]

Originally Posted by Sunburnt
Thank you, Andy. May I call you Andy? ;-)
Absolutely

Alright, Lynn...this is uncalled for. Where are our pictures?

 

[dme]

Im sorry for giving more a time on this on the quetion for dragon moray species and following that answer is something else for both of these issues was with bob fenner and please take the time to read slowly and carefully before saying what be in your mind about it, OK?
The mexican moray is the jewel moray and honest people, professionally there is no such name as mexican moray for take a look at this for if you were to locate a sell for a mexican moray eel on line, what be the price tag on it? $100? $200? For those very few sale sites that list it as the mexican moray, they double and triple the price and only because of the fancy name it has and if you were to buy the jewel moray at your LFS, the price would be around $40 Is it not?
Now as for this Brazilian Dragon moray name, that too im afraid is not a known professionally and I find a lot of confusing there for you got to listen to this;
Some hours ago I was contacted by this person who emailed Bob fenner and he was asking about the Brazilian Dragon moray. I asked him for a copy of fenner`s reply to him and this is what he sent me;
bob said,
Some marine wholesalers I know of list "dragon" morays from two different locales - Mexico and Brazil. The Mexican "dragon" is, of course, the jeweled M. lentiginosa. Would that lead me to believe the Brazilian "dragon" to be the M. retifera?
Now I told him right away, that is impossible for the common name in which goes to that name is the "Reticulate moray" (Muraena retifera). (
I many times find errors on fenner views in his answers to people who think the world of him, but if I was to tell you that I meet Fenner some five years ago for fish world had a book sale and fenner was one of two people to be there for this sale and I drove out there to talk with fenner for I was always hearing how much he knew about eels and I wanted to make a comparison on his knowledge to my own and every time I said a lot on eels and wanted his thoughts to it, he every time made up an excuse to walk away.
I went there expecting more of the conversation of my life and fenner not said anything for I did tell him that how long I been keeping eels and who knows, he not wanted to look silly or something for only because of that day, I not believe that the answers giving at his site are his alone. For anyone could be behind that keyboard.
Professionally, there be only two true dragon moray eels and those be the Hawaiian and Japanese dragon Moray Eels.
Being that I am explaining so much about something and I am talking of one making mistakes in what is told to others, I will add this on the issue of what I started to explain about the dragon eel species.
Sometime ago, I was emailed from this person, I not went into asking what was there name. Anyway, this person asked if they could email me a pic for he said fenner believed it was a new species. And below is the pic and soon I seen it I told him that in no way was it any new species and I asked him for a part in fenners site of the whole issue from the start with his own question. And this here in complete question and answer as was typed.

 

[dme]

Here is the whole question and answer of that issue;
Mystery eel
Okay, I've got one for you. This creature was spotted in Maui's waters by a
visitor who can't remember which beach he was on. Not that it matters, but
it's not in Jack's book, haven't heard back from him, but have heard from
aquarists all over the globe. No one can identify. Can you, please? We're
wondering if we have a new endemic species here. Kate V., Maui
<Wowzah... have just come back from five weeks (minus the bunk week or so of western swell) of diving on Kona... and can't tell which puhi this is either. Am sending your pic to Dr. Randall for his input. Bob Fenner>
Re: mystery eel
Aloha Bob, hoping you might recognize this one. This animal recently turned
up in Maui waters, and no one seems to know the species. Do you, or anyone
you know recognize him/her? I've sent this pic all over the world,
Australia, San Diego, and even Jack Randall (haven't heard back from him.)
I work at Maui Ocean Center and our curator can't help. We're wondering if
we might have a new endemic species.
<I've looked through all my print resources as well as fishbase.org... and sent (I guess re-sent) the pic to Jack... Maybe a cross, maybe a new species? Bob Fenner>
Re: A request for input re identification of a puhi
Bob: I know this seems wrong, but I think that eel is Gymnothorax eurostus, one
of the most variable of muraenids. In my paper on Hawaiian muraenids with
Eugenia Böhlke, I show five color phases. One from Midway is white with
black spots, a few of which are interconnected. I have seen a photo from
Japan that looks just like the photo you sent.
Aloha, Jack
<Thank you for this input... will share. Mahalo. Bob Fenner>
And the person who came in and named the species was correct for that eel is the "Abbott's moray eel"
Dragon Moray Eels

 

[sunburnt]

That's some good information, DME. I have seen a lot of conflicting information on these eels, and have noticed the difference in pricing (and I also remember the Abbot's eel sitution on wwm!). Looking at the the two pictures, would you then say that the difference in markings (the smaller picture seems to have much bolder spots, very defined) and the difference in "horn" size might be due to a differnce in age...? Or would that be normal variation, just as some people are tall and some are short?
Fascinating!

 

[dme]

Sunburnt, actually if you look good at that pic of the Abbott moray you would be able to tell that that pic is over exposed to light for who took that pic should had used a different shutter speed not to allow as much light in the pic for my camera has that I can do that for if I took the pic as well with the light that must had been in that pic i took it with a slower shutter speed allowing much like to be in the pic, I would have that very same image that you see. For here is a pic from fishbase of about near the same age and body and you should be able to know what im talking about.