genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of twelve
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of large
eel
Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
s in the family
Muraenidae
Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, ...
.
This genus is common in the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
, and is abundantly represented in tropical and subtropical seas, especially in rocky parts or on
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...
s. In the majority, a long fin runs from the head along the back, round the tail to the vent, but all are destitute of
pectoral
Pectoral may refer to:
* The chest region and anything relating to it.
* Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest
* a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget
* Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt
* Pectora ...
and
ventral fin
Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hind ...
s. The skin is scaleless and smooth, in many species ornamented with varied and bright colours.
The mouth is wide, the jaws strong and armed with formidable, generally sharply pointed, teeth, which enable the ''Muraena'' not only to seize its prey (which chiefly consists of other fishes) but also to inflict serious, and sometimes dangerous, wounds on its enemies. It attacks persons who approach its places of concealment in shallow water, and is feared by fishermen. At least one species, ''Muraena retifera'', possesses an additional "raptorial pharyngeal jaw" within the
pharynx
The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...
, which is mobile and can be thrust forwards quickly to assist in grasping prey.
Some of the tropical ''Muraenas'' exceed a length of 5 feet (150 cm), but most of the species, among them the
Mediterranean moray
The Mediterranean moray (''Muraena helena'') is a species of fish in the moray eel family. It has a long eel-like body and is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Its bite can be dangerous to humans.
Appearance and characte ...
, are somewhat smaller. The latter, the "murena" of the Italians and the ''Muraena helena'' of
ichthyologist
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 35,800 species of fish had been described as of March 2 ...
s, was considered by the ancient Romans to be one of the greatest delicacies, and was kept in large ponds and aquaria. It is not confined to the coasts of southern
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, but is spread over the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
, and is not uncommon on the coasts of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Its body is generally of a rich brown, marked with large yellowish spots, each of which contains smaller brown spots.
Species
* ''
Muraena appendiculata
''Muraena appendiculata'' is a moray eel found in the southeast Pacific Ocean around Chile.Guichenot, 1848)
* ''
Muraena argus
''Muraena argus'', commonly known as the white-spotted moray, or the Argus moray,Steindachner
Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner descri ...
, 1870) (White-spotted moray)
* ''
Muraena augusti
''Muraena augusti'' is a moray eel found on the eastern Atlantic ocean on waters surrounding the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde (collectively known as Macaronesia).
Muraena clepsydra
''Muraena'' is a genus of twelve species of large eels in the family Muraenidae.
This genus is common in the Mediterranean, and is abundantly represented in tropical and subtropical seas, especially in rocky parts or on coral reefs. In the major ...
Muraena helena
The Mediterranean moray (''Muraena helena'') is a species of fish in the moray eel family. It has a long eel-like body and is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Its bite can be dangerous to humans.
Appearance and characte ...
''
Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
,
1758
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...
(Mediterranean moray)
* ''
Muraena lentiginosa
''Muraena lentiginosa'', the jewel moray, is a moray eel from the Eastern Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or ...
Muraena melanotis
''Muraena melanotis'' is a moray eel found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean.''Mu ...
'' (Kaup, 1860) (Honeycomb moray)
* ''
Muraena pavonina
''Muraena pavonina'' (whitespot moray) is a moray eel that occurs in the western and eastern Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It ...
Muraena retifera
The reticulate moray (''Muraena retifera'') is a moray eel with pharyngeal jaws. It is part of the genus ''Muraena
''Muraena'' is a genus of twelve species of large eels in the family Muraenidae.
This genus is common in the Mediterranean, and ...
European eel
The European eel (''Anguilla anguilla'') is a species of eel. Their life history was a mystery for thousands of years, and mating in the wild has not yet been observed. The five stages of their development were originally thought to be differe ...