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Family Myxinidae - Hagfishes

Order:

Myxiniformes

Class:

Myxini (hagfishes)

No. of Genera:

No. of Species:

Environment:

Fresh: No Brackish: No Marine: Yes

Aquarium:

none

First Fossil Record:

Ref.:

Remark:

Marine, temperate zones of the world, all oceans except the Red Sea, Arctic, and Southern oceans; only deep water in tropical areas. The few available studies indicate that hagfishes do not migrate beyond 100 km (Bo Fernholm, pers. comm., 2004). Jaws absent, no bones. Body naked, eel-like. 1-16 pairs of external gill openings. No paired fins, no dorsal fin. Part of caudal fin extends onto dorsal and ventral surfaces. Degenerate eyes. Laterally biting mouth bearing barbels. Teeth only on tongue plus one on 'palate'. Mucous pores in 2 ventrolateral lines, each line with about 70-200 glands containing mucous cells and thread cells. Ovaries and testes in same individual but functionally non-hermaphroditic. Up to 30 large yolky eggs. No larval phase and thus no metamorphosis. Important predators (often scavengers) on invertebrates and others, e.g., netted fishes and discard. One of the most abundant groups of demersal fishes in many areas. Prey item for marine mammals and large predatory invertebrates. Only vertebrates with body fluids iso-osmotic with seawater. About 100 cm max length. Used as food in Japan and South Korea. Their hides are processed into 'eel skin' in Korea. myx- (gr.) = slime.

Etymology:

Greek, myxinos, -ou = a kind of viscose skin ( Ref. 45335).

Division:

Marine

Reproductive guild:

nonguarders

Main Ref.:

Fernholm, B..1998

Coordinator:

Show species | Nominal species list for Myxinidae | Identification keys | CAS specimen photos | References

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