Argus Moray Eel Photos and Species Information for Fish Caught in Mexico
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Argus Moray Eel, White Spotted Moray Eel
Morena Argos
(Muraena argus)
Fish Identification Photos: Argus Moray Eel, Muraena argus: The Argus Moray Eel has a wide body with an overall brown to green-brown coloration with the large and distinctive anal and dorsal fins covered with skin with a white margin. It has a large, very prominent black spot covering the gill openings (as pictured below).
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The dorsal fin of the Argus Moray Eel originates well ahead of the gill opening. It has three rows of large, irregular, white blotches along the sides and a few white or yellow flecks on the rear half of the body and dorsal fin.
The Argus Moray Eel has golden eyes with dark pupils.
The Argus Moray Eel is found in the first 150 feet of the water column around rocky reefs and reaches a maximum length of just under four feet.
It is found in all Mexican waters, with the exception of being absent from the upper half of the Sea of Cortez. The Argus Moray Eel is most likely confused with the Hourglass Moray, Muraena clepsydra (white spot preceding a black spot at the corner of the mouth).
The Argus Moray Eel belongs to the Muraenidae Family, which includes the Moray and Snake Moray Eels, known in Mexico as morenas. There are ten species known globally, of which three reside in Mexican waters. They are night feeders, dining on small fish and invertebrates including crabs, octopus, and shrimp.
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Argus Moray Eel, Muraena argus: Caught with Capt. Pata in the panga Salome, midmorning September 2007, in 85-degree, 240-foot deep water, utilizing a live sardine and traditional bottom gear, adjacent to the Inner Gordo Bank, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Size 67 cm. Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.
Argus Moray Eel, Muraena argus: Collected off the beach at Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico, in June 2007. Size approximately 3.5 feet. Washed ashore after choking on a 2-pound Longfin Croaker. Identification courtesy of Dr. Richard Rosenblatt, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif. Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.
Argus Moray Eel, Muraena argus: Tentative identification. Caught with Capt. Pata in the panga Salome, La Playita, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, midmorning in January 2003, in 72-degree, 50 to 100 foot deep water, utilizing a 30-pound test, 40-pound two dropper loop rig, with swivel, 3-ounce bank sinker, and Mustad 92553 hooks, size 2/0, on a cut squid, 20 miles north of La Playita. Size approximately 24 inches and 1.5 pounds. A strict “catch and release.” Description and photos courtesy of John Snow.
Argus Moray Eel, Muraena argus: Tentative identification. Caught in the Midriff Islands, Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Gene Kira. Fish identification courtesy of John Snow. |
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