Japanese False Moray
Kaupichthys japonicus
- Usual depth5–23 m
- Water temperature26–30 °C
- Best monthsMay, September, and November
- How commonRare
About this species
Kaupichthys japonicus is an eel in the family Chlopsidae. It was described by Kiyomatsu Matsubara and Hirotoshi Asano in 1960. It was originally a subspecies of Kaupichthys diodontus. It is a tropical, marine eel which is known from Japan and the South China Sea, in the western Pacific Ocean. Males can reach a maximum total length of 23.8 centimetres (9.4 in). K. japonicus spawns in the summer.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Kaupichthys japonicus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 3 records
- April: 3 records
- May: 5 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 8 records
- October: 3 records
- November: 8 records
- December: 1 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 5–23 m · Deepest record: 35 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 26–30 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Japanese False Moray
Names in 1 more languages
- Japanese
- Iwaanago, イワアナゴ, クロヒゲイワアナゴ
Similar species
- False moray
Kaupichthys hyoproroides
- Blacknose False Moray
Kaupichthys atronasus
- Shortfin Black False Moray
Kaupichthys brachychirus
- Common False Moray
Kaupichthys diodontus
- 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).
- 32 open-data records from 1968 to 2000.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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