Gymnothorax pseudothyrsoideus is a moray eel

Moray eel

Moray eels are cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water and a few, for example the freshwater moray can sometimes be found in freshwater...

 found in the Pacific and Indian ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

s. It was first named by Pieter Bleeker

Pieter Bleeker

Pieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....

in 1852, and is commonly known as the Highfin moray, False spotted moray, Mottled moray-eel, or the Yellow-lined reef-eel.

Description

Gymnothorax pseudothyrsoideus can grow to 80 cm in length and has no visible dorsal fins. Its coloration is pale yellow with dark brown spots that are irregularly distributed across its body. The young have white along the margins of their fins, but as they mature the white fades to only the tip of the tail.

Endangerment Status

Though the species has not been specifically evaluated to determine the amount of threat of extinction, it is known that the species is neither commonly seen nor very widespread in its habitat distribution. However, since the species is not commercially desirable for any purpose nor harmful to humans in any way, it is unlikely that direct human interference will affect the population.