Hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) fish species and information / pictures of Hagfish - Myxine glutinosa

Hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) fish species information

Scientific Name
Myxine glutinosa

Common Name
Hagfish

Biology
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 , the horny shell has a cluster of anchor-tipped filaments at each end.

Classification

Classified By

Linnaeus, 1758

Class

Hagfishes (Myxini)

Order

Hagfishes (Myxiniformes)

Family

Hagfishes (Myxinidae)

Distribution

Region

North Atlantic

Distribution

North Atlantic: Murmansk to the Mediterranean Sea; Greenland to USA. Absent in eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea. Only hagfish in the Northeast Atlantic.

Range

72°N - 25°N, 79°W - 41°E

Environment

Climate

Temperate

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

30 m

Depth To - meters

1200 m

Zone

demersal

Environment

Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 30 - 1200 m

Trophic Level

3.45 s.e. 0.66 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

80.0 cm

Common Length

40 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: of no interest

Vulnerability

Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100)

Resilience

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec= 20-30)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated