Moringua edwardsi (Jordan & Bollman, 1889)
Spaghetti eel
photo by Carvalho Filho, A.

Family:  Moringuidae (Worm or spaghetti eels)
Max. size:  15 cm TL (male/unsexed); 50 cm TL (female)
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine
Distribution:  Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida Keys (USA), and Bahamas to northern South America. Scarce in western Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 26938).
Diagnosis:  A very, slender, elongate, cylindrical eel with a projecting lower jaw. Lateral line complete ending at base of tail. (Ref. 26938).
Biology:  Young and females burrow in sandy tide pools and reef tracts. Males inhabit deeper water, possibly pelagic. Adults emerge at night and sometimes come to lights at the surface (Ref. 26938). Feed on burrowing invertebrates that live in the sand (Ref. 26938).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 28 January 2009 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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