Caribbean Hagfish
📖 Overview
Caribbean Hagfish (Myxine mcmillanae) 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 47 cm. It occurs at depths between 700 and 1500 metres. With a trophic level of 3.4, it is a low-level carnivore, feeding on invertebrates and small organisms. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
🔬 Taxonomy
🐟 Physical Description
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. Body gray; head white; without scales. Internal gill pouches 7, connected to a single gill opening on each side. Dorsal and paired fins absent; anal and caudal fins joined . Mucous pores along each side of the body: prebranchial 26-35, trunk 60-70; tail 9-12; total 101-115. Unicusps: anterior 8-10; posterior 8-10; total 42-48 .: eel-like.
🌀 Behaviour
Behavioural data for Caribbean 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 700 - 1500 m . Deep-water Central Atlantic: Caribbean: Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.
🌿 Ecology
📐 Morphometrics
🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance
🛡️ Conservation Assessment
📊 Population Risk & Fisheries
🌐 Names & Taxonomy
| Language | Common Names |
|---|---|
| 🇬🇧English | Caribbean Hagfish |
🔍 Similar Species
🗺️ Global Occurrence Map
Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 3 records indexed .
👥 Community & Contribute
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