The stunning video below, shows large leptocephali filmed by
divers at three locations within the Indonesian Archipelago from
2009 to 2011. The observations were made from December to April
in Lembeh Strait adjacent to north-eastern Sulawesi Island, at
Ambon Island and at Bali. The leptocephali are about 300 - 400
mm long and appear to be metamorphosing larvae of some type of
moray eel of the family Muraenidae. The morphological
similarities between these leptocephali and Ribbon Eels,
Rhinomuraena quaesita, suggest they may be Ribbon Eel larvae.
The video clip showing the four leptocephali that were filmed by
various divers is associated with a published paper by Dr
Michael Miller, entitled 'Observations of large muraenid
leptocephali in coastal Indonesia: locations of sightings and
behavior of the larvae.' Leptocephali are transparent because
they have only a thin layer of muscle over a mucinous pouch
inside the body. The pouch contains glucosaminoglycan (GAG)
compounds that form a transparent jelly-like sub