• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.298-304
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• 2018

A single specimen of Gymnothorax pseudothyrsoideus (424.0 mm TL) belonging to the family Muraenidae, order Anguilliformes, was collected from Jeju Island, Korea, for the first time. The specimen is characterized by jaws closing completely, canine teeth on jaws, teeth not exposed when mouth is closed, ovoid posterior nostril, and body color ranging from yellowish brown to brownish with small dark spots aggregating to form larger spots that from approximately four irregular rows along the body. A comparison of mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA sequences indicated that this specimen corresponds well with G. pseudothyrsoideus (K2P distance, d=0.002) but differs from other Gymnothorax species (11.9-13.7%). Therefore, the new Korean name "Geu-mul-nun-gom-chi" is proposed for the species G. pseudothyrsoideus.