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Genus: Chlopsis, False Moray, False-Moray Eels


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center roof mouth - 2 rows teeth
D origin over gill opening
no lip flanges
no pectoral

CHLOPSIS

FALSE-MORAY EELS

Elongate, slightly compressed; large eyes; snout bluntly pointed; front nostril tubular, points downward; rear nostril opens in top lip under eye; mouth moderately large, extends behind eye; no flange on either lip; jaw teeth small, in 2-3 rows; 2 series of teeth on center of roof of mouth; gill opening small, oval, lateral; pectoral fins absent; dorsal and anal fins well developed, continuous with tail fin, dorsal origin ~ over gill opening; lateral line reduced to1-2 pores on rear of head and 5-6 along lower jaw.

A tropical to warm temperate genus with 9 species; occurs on both sides of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Indo-W Pacific, as well as our region, in which there are 2 trans-Atlantic species.