First record of the four-pore slender giant moray, Strophidon tetraporus (Actinopterygii, Anguilliformes, Muraenidae), from Sinan, Korea

A single individual (2318 mm total length) of Strophidon tetraporus Huang et Liao, 2020 was collected from Heuksan-myeon, Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea, in December 2023. This species is characterized by the following morphological traits: elongated body, biserial maxillary and dentary teeth, four infraorbital pores, 195 vertebrae (8 predorsal, 79 preanal), and continuous dorsal, anal, and caudal fins. Genetic analysis of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences confirmed its identity, with only 0.02–0.03 percentage-point divergence from the type specimens of S. tetraporus.

This record represents the first verified occurrence of S. tetraporus in Korean waters and extends the species’ distribution to its northernmost limit.