| Moray eel Temporal range: [1]
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|---|---|
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| Moray eel in the Maldives | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Anguilliformes |
| Suborder: | Muraenoidei |
| Family: | Muraenidae Rafinesque, 1810 |
| Subfamiles | |
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Moray eels, or Muraenidae (/ˈmɒreɪ, məˈreɪ/), 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, and a few are found in fresh water.[2]
The English name, moray, dates back to the early 17th century, and is believed to be a derivative from Portuguese moréia, which itself derives from Latin mūrēna, in turn from Greek μύραινα, muraina; these are the Latin and Greek names of the Mediterranean moray.[3]
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Muraenidae". FishBase. January 2009 version.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Gymnothorax polyuranodon". FishBase. January 2010 version.
- ^ "Moray - definition of moray in English". Oxford Dictionaries. Archived from the original on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016 – via oxforddictionaries.com.