taxonID	type	description	language	source
F3796406C03055A79C702BED3A537469.taxon	description	Figs 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Table 1 Common name: Hades’ snake moray	en	Huang, Wen-Chien, Hibino, Yusuke, Balisco, Rodulf Anthony, Liao, Te-Yu (2024): Description of a new uniformly brown estuarine moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1220: 15-34, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1220.129685
F3796406C03055A79C702BED3A537469.taxon	diagnosis	Diagnosis. A small, slender moray eel, possible maximum TL <350 mm, female mature at 171 mm TL. Anus at mid-length of body. Eyes small and anteriorly placed. Snout pointed. Upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw. Teeth sharply pointed with smooth edges and recurved tips; intermaxillary teeth in 5 rows; maxillary and dentary teeth biserial, inner rows extending to about posterior end of jaws; vomerine teeth in single row. No branchial pore. Body uniformly dark brown; head pores, oral cavity, and inner skin of posterior nostril and gill opening whitish; iris reddish-brown. Total vertebrae 117 – 122.	en	Huang, Wen-Chien, Hibino, Yusuke, Balisco, Rodulf Anthony, Liao, Te-Yu (2024): Description of a new uniformly brown estuarine moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1220: 15-34, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1220.129685
F3796406C03055A79C702BED3A537469.taxon	description	Description. Values shown below from all the 14 specimens, including holotype, paratypes, and non-types. Proportions in percentage of TL: tail length 47.6 – 51.4 (x ̄ = 49.6); preanal length 48.6 – 52.4 (x ̄ = 50.4); trunk length 35.8 – 41.3 (x ̄ = 38.6); head length 10.5 – 12.8 (x ̄ = 11.8); body depth at gill opening 2.9 – 4.4 (x ̄ = 3.7); body depth at anus 3.3 – 5.0 (x ̄ = 3.8). Proportions in percentage of HL: length of upper jaw 26.3 – 35.1 (x ̄ = 29.9); length of lower jaw 25.5 – 33.6 (x ̄ = 28.9); interorbital width 5.9 – 9.6 (x ̄ = 7.9); snout length 9.3 – 12.0 (x ̄ = 10.5); eye diameter 5.0 – 7.2 (x ̄ = 5.8). Vertebral counts: pre-anus vertebrae 55 – 58 (x ̄ = 57); pre-dorsal fin vertebrae 102 – 109 (x ̄ = 105); pre-anal fin vertebrae 103 – 110 (x ̄ = 106); total vertebrae 117 – 122 (x ̄ = 119) (Table 1). A small, slender moray eel, anus at mid-length of body, tail laterally compressed, body depth roughly consistent throughout whole fish except for narrower, pointed head and tail tip (Figs 3, 4). Fins inconspicuous and restricted to posterior portion of tail, caudal fin short. Gill opening small and oval, below lateral midline of body. Eyes small and anteriorly placed, closer to snout tip than to mouth corner, snout / upper jaw length 0.30 – 0.40 (x ̄ = 0.36). Snout short and somewhat pointed, space between eyes narrow, anterior portion of head triangular in dorsal view. Jaws moderately long, upper jaw slightly longer than lower jaw, teeth not visible when mouth closed. Anterior nostril short and tubular, close to tip of snout, shorter than eye dimeter in length. Posterior nostril a large oval hole with a raised rim, above and posterior to anterior margin of eye, opening upward (Fig. 5). Three supraorbital pores, first and second pores on tip of snout; first pore below base of anterior nostril; second pore next to upper base of anterior nostril at horizontal level of lower eye margin; third pore on upper margin of snout, above and posterior to first infraorbital pore. Four infraorbital pores, arranged along upper jaw with equal intervals, first pore posteriorly next to base of anterior nostril; second pore below and anterior to eye; third pore below midpoint of eye; fourth pore below and posterior to eye. Six preoperculo-mandibular pores lining along lower jaw anterior to mouth corner (Fig. 5 A). No branchial pore observed except in one specimen (ZRC 63518) having one pore on left side of posterior-dorsal head, representing a rare variation. Teeth sharply pointed with smooth edges and recurved tips. Intermaxillary tooth plate with 5 rows of teeth; peripheral rows with 8 – 13 (mode 9) tightly arranged small teeth on each side; teeth on intermediate and median rows significantly larger than those on peripheral rows, about twice as tall and depressible, intermediate rows with 3 – 6 (3) teeth on each side, median row with 2 – 5 (3) teeth. Maxillary teeth biserial; outer row with 18 – 36 (26 and 28) teeth, continuous with peripheral intermaxillary teeth of similar size and shape, teeth slightly smaller at posterior end; inner row with 7 – 19 (11 and 13) straight, widely spaced teeth, continuous with intermediate intermaxillary teeth of approximately the same size and shape, extending to, exceeding, or near posterior end of outer row, with teeth becoming smaller at posterior end. Vomerine with 2 – 9 (5) small, conical teeth in single row. Dentary teeth biserial; outer row with 26 – 43 (36) teeth, small and equal-sized, closely arranged; inner row with 8 – 22 (13) slender and straight teeth, twice taller than teeth on outer row, widely spaced, anterior and posterior teeth smaller than middle ones, extending to or near posterior end of outer row (Fig. 6). Body uniformly dark brown, color slightly lighter ventrally, covered with greenish mucus when alive. Head pores, oral cavity, and inner skin of posterior nostril and gill opening whitish. Iris reddish-brown. Whitish superficial neuromasts arranged in several lines on head region and in a row along lateral body (Fig. 5 B). Preserved color mostly same as in fresh, but slightly faded.	en	Huang, Wen-Chien, Hibino, Yusuke, Balisco, Rodulf Anthony, Liao, Te-Yu (2024): Description of a new uniformly brown estuarine moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1220: 15-34, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1220.129685
F3796406C03055A79C702BED3A537469.taxon	distribution	Distribution. This species is widely distributed in estuaries of the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean, ranging from southern Java to Fiji, and extending north to the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan.	en	Huang, Wen-Chien, Hibino, Yusuke, Balisco, Rodulf Anthony, Liao, Te-Yu (2024): Description of a new uniformly brown estuarine moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1220: 15-34, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1220.129685
F3796406C03055A79C702BED3A537469.taxon	etymology	Etymology. The new moray eel is named after Hades, the ancient Greek god of the underworld, in reference to its habitation in turbid estuarine waters, high sensitivity to light, and its uniformly dark coloration, reminiscent of the underworld god. A noun in apposition.	en	Huang, Wen-Chien, Hibino, Yusuke, Balisco, Rodulf Anthony, Liao, Te-Yu (2024): Description of a new uniformly brown estuarine moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the Central Indo-Pacific Ocean. ZooKeys 1220: 15-34, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1220.129685
