Grouser's hagfish
📖 Overview
Grouser's hagfish (Eptatretus grouseri) is a ray-finned fish of the family Myxinidae. It inhabits marine (saltwater) waters in deep-water environments. This species can reach a maximum total length of 37.8 cm. It occurs at depths between 648 and 722 metres. With a trophic level of 4.1, it is a mid-level predator. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
This species is distinguished from its congeners except E. aceroi, E. profundus, E. wandoensis, E. wayuu by the number of gill apertures arranged in a straight line, 5 pairs (6 in one specimen of E. grouseri); 3/2 multicusp pattern of teeth; differs from these five-gilled congeners by having: total cusps 44-48 (vs. 58 in E. aceroi, 40-43 in E. wandoensis, 41-43 in E. wayuu); prebranchial pores 11-12 (vs. 44 in E. aceroi, 14-18 in E. wandoensis, 24 in E. wayuu); trunk pores 42-48 (vs. 107 in E. aceroi, 48-51 in E. profundus, 38-40 in E. wayuu); tail pores 13-15 (9-11 in E. wandoensis); total pores 71-79 (vs. 174 in E. aceroi, 81-86 in E. profundus) . : eel-like; Cross section: oval.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Grouser's hagfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
Copulatory organ absent. The gonads of hagfishes are situated in the peritoneal cavity. The ovary is found in the anterior portion of the gonad, and the testis is found in the posterior part. The animal becomes female if the cranial part of the gonad develops or male if the caudal part undergoes differentiation. If none develops, then the animal becomes sterile. If both anterior and posterior parts develop, then the animal becomes a functional hermaphrodite. However, hermaphroditism being characterised as functional needs to be validated by more reproduction studies .
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; bathydemersal; non-migratory; depth range 648 - 722 m . Deep-water Southeast Pacific: endemic in Galapagos Islands.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 2 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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