A rare species of Uropterygius (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) found in the stomach content of a Yellow-lipped Sea Krait from Japan

Abstract

A single muraenid specimen (genus Uropterygius), recovered from the stomach of a live Yellow-lipped Sea Krait, Laticauda colubrina (Schneider, 1799), captured at Iriomote Island, Japan, was found to possess intermediate traits between 2 rare species, Uropterygius  xenodontus McCosker & Smith, 1997 and Uropterygius golanii McCosker & Smith, 1997. The specimen is provisionally identified as U. xenodontus and is described below with its morphs, as an important addition to material of rare specimens of the genus in the western North Pacific.