Peppered Moray, Uropterygius polystictus

Peppered Moray, Uropterygius polystictus. Fish caught from coastal waters off Kona, Hawaii, March 2021. Length: 46 cm (18 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon. This fish has previously not been documented to be a resident of Hawaiian waters.

The Peppered Moray, Uropterygius polystictus, is a member of the Moray and Snake Eel or Muraenidae Family, that is also known as the Many-spotted Moray and in Mexico as morena pintada. Globally, there are twenty-one members in the genus Uropterygius, of which four are found in Mexican waters, one in the Atlantic and three in the Pacific Ocean.

The Peppered Moray has an elongated muscular rounded body at the front that becomes compressed posteriorly that tapers gradually to a rounded tail. They are a light gray to pale orange color and covered with small black spots that are more prominent dorsally around the head than ventrally. The pores on both jaws are with rings. Their tail has a subtle thin white margin. Has a body that is rounded at the front and becomes compressed ventrally. They have 8 or 9 large canines on each jaw and slender conical teeth that are set in two series and one row of 5 or 6 teeth on the roof of their mouth. The anal and dorsal fins are limited to skin covered crests at the rear of the body. Their tail is blunt, small, and is slightly shorter than the head and body.

The Peppered Moray is found in tidal pools, and mixed coral, rock, and sand substrate at depths up to 35 m (110 feet). They reach a maximum of 72 cm (2 feet 4 inches) in length. The Peppered Moray is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Peppered Moray is a resident of Mexican waters of the Pacific but is exceedingly rare and its range is poorly documented. They are known to the East Coast of the Baja from Bahiá de Los Ángeles, Baja California, south to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur.

The Peppered Moray is similar in stature and can be confused with the Crafty Moray, Uropterygius versutus (brown with white blotches, white tipped tail), the Hardtail Moray, Anarchias galapagensis (brown with white stars, white tipped tail), and the Largehead Moray, Uropterygius macrocephalus (brown with pale mottling, yellow tipped tail), but identification is fairly straightforward due to its coloration.

From a conservation perspective the Peppered Moray is currently considered to be of Data Deficient, as they have been seldom encountered by humans and are poorly documented.