First Record of a Rare Moray, Enchelycore kawara (Actinopterygii: Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), from Amami-oshima Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan

Abstract

A single specimen of the rare moray Enchelycore kamara Bohlke and Bohlke, 1980 was collected from a shallow coral reef at Amami-oshima Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The species had been known previously from only six specimens collected from the Line Islands and Palau, and the present specimen thus represents the first record of the species from Japanese waters. A brief account of the morphology of the Japanese specimen is provided, as well as a photograph showing its color freshly after collection.