Moringua edwardsi

Moringua edwardsi
Spaghetti Eel – Moringua edwardsi
FamilyScientific NameAuthorYearCommon Name
MoringuidaeMoringua edwardsi(Jordan & Bollman)1889Spaghetti Eel

Family Moringuidae — Small eels, maximum size 50 cm. Body moderately elongate to very elongate, cylindrical except near tip of tail; anus near or behind midlength; tip of tail soft, blunt. Eye reduced except in mature Moringua. Snout not greatly prolonged. Anterior nostril with a low tube or without a tube, posterior nostril in front of eye. Mouth moderate, gape ending under or slightly behind eye; upper lip without an upturned flange; lower lip with or without a groove separating it from remainder of lower jaw. Teeth conical, small to moderately enlarged, in 1 or 2 series on jaws and vomer; intermaxillary teeth generally the largest, arranged in 2 longitudinal rows or in a semicircle. All fins present though sometimes reduced; dorsal and anal fins confluent with caudal fin. Dorsal fin begins far behind head, slightly before or well behind midlength. Anal fin begins at or distinctly behind anus. Scales absent. Lateral line on body complete or present only on trunk; on head, pores present only on lower jaw.

Moringua edwardsi

Unique Characters: Lower jaw projects beyond upper. Anus distinctly behind midlength. Lateral line complete.

Similar Species: Ridged Eel Neoconger mucronatus. Upper jaw projects beyond lower. Anus near midlength. Lateral line ends near level of anus.

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