Myxine glutinosa Linnaeus, 1758

Hagfish

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Myxini \| Myxiniformes \| Myxinidae \| Myxininae
Synonyms	Gasterobranchus glutinosus, Gastrobranchus coecus, ... more
Common names	Myxine, Pez moco, Northern hagfish, ... more

You can sponsor this page

Upload your photos and videos
| All pictures | Google image |

Picture by Salesjö, A.

Play video

Add your observation in Fish Watcher

This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Fernholm, B. 1998. (Ref. 31276)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 80.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388); common length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 35388); common length :40 cm TL (female)

Environment

Demersal; non-migratory; marine; depth range 30 - 1200 m (Ref. 31276)

Climate / Range

Temperate; 72°N - 25°N, 79°W - 41°E

North Atlantic: Murmansk to the Mediterranean Sea; Greenland to USA. Absent in eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. Only hagfish in the Northeast Atlantic.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Jawless mouth, single nasal aperture, only a single pair of external gill openings, no operculum or covering fold of skin. Grayish or reddish brown above, either plain. Variations in color correspond to the color of the sea bottom.

Found on muddy bottoms where they hide in the mud. Slime is used for defense. Feeds chiefly on dead and dying fish of varying species by boring into the body and consuming viscera and musculature. Chiefly nocturnal. Its eggs are few in number about 19-30 and large (20-25 mm), the horny shell has a cluster of anchor-tipped filaments at each end.


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Not Evaluated	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

Tools
Biogeographic modelling \| Bio-Quiz \| E-book \| Field guide \| Length-frequency wizard \| Life-history tool \| Point map

Special reports
Check for Aquarium maintenance \| Check for Species Fact Sheets \| Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML
Summary page \| Point data \| Common names \| Photos

Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100)	Low

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Capuli, Estelita Emily

Back to Search

Fish Forum

Comments & Corrections

Sign our Guest Book

FishBase mirror site : US - CGNET

Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

Custom Search