True Eels

The Moringuidae is a family of 20 species of marine eels found in tropical waters, which includes the genera Moringua and Stilbiscus. These fish typically occur in shallow, soft-bottomed or gravelly habitats, where they burrow in the substratum during the day. The eel Stilbiscus edwardsi is a common species of the western Atlantic, while Moringua macrochir occurs in coastal waters of the Hawaiian Islands.

The moray eels (Muraenidae) include about 120 species that live in shallow, tropical and subtropical waters. These impressive, snake-like fish have a large mouth, well-armed with teeth and poison fangs. Morays are often brilliantly colored and marked, and are very attractive fish. Morays generally occur in rocky or coral habitats, where they hide during the day in crevices or in burrows in sediment. Many unsuspecting divers have received a nasty surprise in the form of a painful moray bite, when reaching into a rocky crevice after marine animals or other interesting things.

The zebra moray (Echidna zebra) is an attractive species with a brown-yellowish body and white stripes. The zebra moray occurs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and is sometimes seen in aquaria. The largest moray, and the largest species of living eel, is Thyrsoidea macrurus of coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This species can achieve a length greater than 9 ft (2.7 m). Morays are often caught as food fish, especially in Asiatic waters and, to a lesser degree, in the Mediterranean region.

The conger eels (Congeridae) also occur in tropical and subtropical waters. The best known species is the conger eel (Conger conger), with an almost world-wide distribution in suitable habitats (except for the eastern Pacific), and achieving a length of almost 9 ft (2.7 m). Some species occur in relatively deep waters, for example, Ariosoma balearica and Promyllantor latedorsalis, off the Azores of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.