Teleostei (teleosts) >
Anguilliformes (Eels and morays) >
Moringuidae (Worm or spaghetti eels)
Eponymy: Dr Charles Lincoln Edwards (1863–1937) was an American zoologist. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on authors: Jordan & Bollman.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; reef-associated. Subtropical
Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Florida Keys (USA), and Bahamas to northern South America. Scarce in western Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 26938).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251); 50.0 cm TL (female)
A very, slender, elongate, cylindrical eel with a projecting lower jaw. Lateral line complete ending at base of tail. (Ref. 26938).
Body shape (shape guide): eel-like.
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).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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