Mediterranean moray

Photo: arseniivesnin · CC BY-NC

The thermal ledges and freshwater-eroded cavities at Kallithea create an unusually high density of moray dens, with individuals of different sizes partitioning shelter by crevice diameter. Muraena helena is ectothermic and the slight thermal gradient from the springs appears to concentrate them in the 8 to 15 m band where water temperature is most stable year-round. Cleaner shrimp of the genus Lysmata frequently work the moray dens here, providing classic cleaning-station behaviour observable at close range.