muræna

[An old form of Latin murena, from Gr. myraina =a marine eel, a sea-serpent.] chin, bench; go, gem; thin, this; Ichthy.: The typical genus of the family Murenide (q. v.). Scalele ; the teeth well developed. Gill openings and clefts between the branchial arches narrow. No pectorals; dorsal and anal fins well developed. Two nostrils on each side of the upper surface of the snout. Eighty species are known, from the tropical and sub-tropical zones. Muræna ma crurus , from the Indian seas, attains a length of ten feet, IMG:content-1489.jpg:[graphic] and has the tail twice as long as the Muræna Helena. body. M. richard sonii has the skin folded, so as to form pouches, and M. un dulata is remarkable as not being able to close its mouth completely. The majority are armed with a formidable pointed teeth; in a few species they are molar-like, and fitted for crushing crustaceans. Most of the Murenas are beautifully colored.