The Heterenchelyidae or mud eels are a small family of

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

s native to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and eastern Pacific. Heterenchelyids are bottom-dwelling fish adapted to burrowing into soft mud. They have large mouths and no

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

s, and range from in length. Currently, eight species in two genera are recognized in this family.

References

Marine fish families Eels Ray-finned fish families {{Anguilliformes-stub