Mottled hagfish
📖 Overview
From observations of baited videos, this hagfish is much less active feeding on the bait, and is less inclined to produce slime; possible that the colour pattern of this species offers good camouflage in deep-sea reefs or habitats composed of sand patches over hard substrate, which was also abundant in the Three Kings area .
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Diagnosis: 8 pairs of gill pouches and gill openings, strongly mottled with pale brown, dark brown, and white-beige body colour, 3/3 multicusps, and 77–86 total slime pores; distinguished from all other myxinids except Eptatretus gomoni, Eptatretus luzonicus, Eptatretus indrambaryai, Eptatretus okinoseanus, and Eptatretus octatrema by having 8 gill pouches associated with 8 branchial openings; differs from those 5 Indo-Pacific species by having 3-cusp multicusps on the posterior row of teeth (versus 2-cusp multicusps). . : eel-like.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Mottled hagfish is currently being reviewed.
🦐 Diet
🥚 Reproduction
🌍 Habitat & Distribution
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 110 - 842 m . Deep-water endemic to the Three Kings Islands of New Zealand (Ref.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🔍 Similar Species
👥 Community & Contribute
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