False moray
Kaupichthys hyoproroides
- Usual depth4–300 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsJanuary, May, and August
- How commonOccasional
About this species
Kaupichthys hyoproroides, the false moray, common false moray, grey reef eel, reef eel, plain false moray, or double-toothed xenocongrid eel, is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Pehr Hugo Strömman in 1896, originally under the genus Leptocephalus. It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from coral reefs and rocky shores in the western Atlantic Ocean, including southeastern Florida, USA; the Bahamas, Yucatan, Mexico; the Antilles, and Venezuela. It is a benthic, solitary eel that typically dwells at depths to 95 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 30 cm.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Kaupichthys hyoproroides”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 25 records
- February: 17 records
- March: 9 records
- April: 14 records
- May: 25 records
- June: 13 records
- July: 9 records
- August: 28 records
- September: 18 records
- October: 11 records
- November: 11 records
- December: 2 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 4–300 m · Deepest record: 3,500 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- False moray, Common False Moray, Double-toothed Xenocongrid Eel, false moray, Gray Reef False Moray, Grey Reef Eel, Plain False Moray, Reef Eel, reef moray
Names in 2 more languages
- Spanish
- anguililla de arrecife, morena falsa de arrecife
- Japanese
- イワアナゴ
Other scientific names: Kaupichthys atlanticus, Kaupichthys hypoproroides, Leptocephalus hyoproroides
Similar species
- Blacknose False Moray
Kaupichthys atronasus
- Shortfin Black False Moray
Kaupichthys brachychirus
- Common False Moray
Kaupichthys diodontus
- Japanese False Moray
Kaupichthys japonicus
- Broadsnout False Moray
Chilorhinus platyrhynchus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 390 open-data records from 1884 to 2023.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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