Dwarf moray eel - Canton Island Moray

[JTreef]

Has anyone here kept one of these dwarf Canton island morays or have experience with them? I have seen what I think is one of these at our local fish store. It is over a year and a half old, possibly 2 years, maybe 7-8”. Very very small! I’ve never heard of this eel before.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I've never seen these (Anarchias cantonensis) for sale before, and they're reportedly extremely rare to see unless they're collected with icthyocides (fish toxins) - so if the one you've seen is over a year old, that's a very good sign, and I hope it does really well.

That said, they're reportedly extremely small like the one in your pic, and they live in shallow water in reefs and rocky shores. Based on the genus, I'd expect it to be a fangtooth eel, eating small fish and soft-bodied crustaceans (like shrimp).

If you want to confirm that that's the species, I'd suggest comparing with the description in the paper below:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261911456_The_Moray_Eels_of_the_Anarchias_cantonensis_Group_Anguilliformes_Muraenidae_with_Description_of_Two_New_Species

 

[JTreef]

Thank you for your input! That’s where I based my ID from. Kinda cool if it is.
It’s not anything I could positively ID as one of the more common eel species because of his size and pattern.