Maldives Marine Life

Marine life of Maldivian waters

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Java spaghetti eel
No photo available
Photo: Bleeker / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (view on Wikimedia Commons)Historical illustration. Source: The fishes of the Indo-Australian Archipelago p.336 book; Commons file: Moringuajavanica.jpg

Java spaghetti eel

Moringua javanica

Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).

English
Java spaghetti eel
Scientific
Moringua javanica
Dhivehi
No recorded Dhivehi name
Group
Eels
Family
Moringuidae (spaghetti eels)
Maximum size
Up to about 1.2 m (total length)
Depth and habitat
Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 15 m; also enters brackish water
IUCN status
DD · Data DeficientData Deficient (DD), assessed 2019

Description

A thin, worm-like burrowing eel without pectoral fins, reaching about 1.2 m. It lives buried in sand and gravel in shallow water.

Sources

Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.