The Peppered Moray (Gymnothorax pictus) is distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region and through the many islands of the tropical eastern Pacific. Its distribution in Australian waters is from the Northwest Cape in Western Australia around the tropical north of the country to the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef (the Capricorn Bunker Group). Adults can be identified by their white body which is speckled with small black spots that are sometimes grouped to form larger black blotches. Juveniles have relatively larger black spots.
The Peppered Moray is considered to be a shallow reef dwelling species and it can be often found in less than 1 metre of water. When it hunts the coral reef tops for food it can often be observed with part of its body protruding water only a couple of centimetres in depth. The Peppered Moray is known to feed on crustacean species such as crabs and is occasionally known to take small fish. It grows to a maximum size of at least 1 metre.
