Formosan Hagfish
📖 Overview
Formosan Hagfish (Myxine formosana), first described by Mok & Kuo, 2001 is a large fish in the family Myxinidae (order Myxiniformes). Adults typically reach 76.80 cm in maximum length. It inhabits marine coastal and open-ocean environments. Recorded depth range: 588 to 1500 metres. It occurs in Deep-water waters. It feeds on a mix of small fish and invertebrates as a mid-level predator. On the IUCN Red List, it is classified as Data Deficient.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Head white; body and tail grayish-black to dark purple. A 3-cusp multicusp on the anterior set of cusps and 2-cusp multicusp on the posterior set. Gill pouches, generally 5 pairs (rarely 4). Slime pores 0 - 4 (mostly 2) above the area between the anterior and posterior ends of the cloaca. Anterior unicusps 10 (8-12) on each side. Anterior part of ventral finfold (VFF) higher than posterior part (mostly vestigial). Caudal finfold (CFF) low to vestigial .: eel-like.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Formosan 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 588 - 1500 m . Deep-water
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Formosan Hagfish |
| 🇫🇮Finnish | taiwaninlimaaja |
| 🇨🇳Chinese | 無目鰻 · 臺灣盲鰻 · 青眠鰻 · 鰻背 · 龍筋 |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 4 records indexed .
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