Eels are common on Kwajalein reefs, but since they typically live deep within reef cracks and crevices or buried in sand, they are often overlooked. Some are very difficult to impossible to photograph since they never or almost never come out into the open. Some species are known in the Marshalls only from specimens collected at "kill stations" where an ichthyocide such as rotenone is used to drive cryptic fish from their lairs in order to be sampled. Eel species known from the Marshalls (and other Micronesian islands) are listed in a checklist in Myers (1999), supplemented by a listing of new Marshall Islands records published later (Randall et al (2005)). Some of our photos were not taken in the Marshalls; these are indicated in the descriptions of those species.
Muraenidae (Moray Eels)
Ophichthidae (Snake Eels)
Congridae (Conger and Garden Eels)
Other eel species (from the three families covered here) that have been reported from the Marshall Islands and listed in the checklist in Myers (1999) include (links are to Fishbase):
Muraenidae
Anarchias
allardicei
Jordan & Starks, 1906
Anarchias
cantonensis
(Schultz, 1943)
Anarchias
seychellensis
Smith, 1962
Enchelycore
bayeri
(Schultz, 1953)
Enchelycore
bikiniensis
(Schultz, 1953)
Enchelynassa
canina
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
Gymnothorax
buroensis
(Bleeker, 1857)
Gymnothorax
fuscomaculatus
(Schultz, 1953)
Gymnothorax
margaritophorus
(Bleeker, 1864)
Gymnothorax
marshallensis
(Schultz, 1953)
Gymnothorax
monochrous
(Bleeker, 1856)
Gymnothorax
monostigma
(Regan, 1909)
Uropterygius
consolor
Rüppell, 1837
Uropterygius
fuscoguttatus
Schultz, 1953
Uropterygius
inornatus
Gosline, 1958
Uropterygius
kamar
McCosker & Randall, 1977
Uropterygius
macrocephalus
(Bleeker, 1865)
Uropterygius
supraforatus
(Regan, 1909)
Uropterygius
xenodontus
McCosker & Smith, 1997
Ophichthidae
Apterichtus
klazingai
(Weber, 1913)
Callechelys
catostomus
(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
Cirricaecula
johnsoni
Schultz, 1953
Echelus
uropterus (Temminck
& Schlegel, 1842)
Muraenichthys
gymnota
Bleeker, 1864
Muraenichthys
laticaudata
(Ogilby, 1879)
Muraenichthys
macroptera
Bleeker, 1857
Muraenichthys
schultzei
Bleeker, 1857
Muraenichthys
sibogae
Weber & deBeaufort, 1916
Myrichthys
maculosus
(Cuvier, 1816)
Phyllophichthus
xenodontus
Gosline, 1951
Schismorhynchus
labialis
(Seale, 1917)
Schultzidia
johnstoniensis
(Schultz & Woods, 1949)
Schultzidia
retropinnis
(Fowler, 1933)
All photos are protected by copyright. Please contact uwkwaj@yahoo.com for more information on purchase, use, or redistribution of any photos.