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Myxini (hagfishes) > Myxiniformes (Hagfishes) > Myxinidae (Hagfishes) > Eptatretinae
Etymology: Eptatretus: hepta (Gr.), seven; tretos (Gr.), perforated (i.e., with holes), referring to seven gill apertures on what would later be described as Homea banksii (=E. cirrhatus) [range within genus is 6-14 pairs of gill apertures]. (See ETYFish); stoutii: In honor of Arthur B. Stout (1814-1898), surgeon and corresponding secretary of the California Academy of Sciences [see box, below]. (See ETYFish).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 16 - 966 m (Ref. 96339). Temperate; 58°N - 20°N, 137°W - 105°W

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Eastern Pacific: southeastern Alaska to Bahia San Pablo, central Baja California, Mexico.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 42.0 range ? - ? cm
Max length : 63.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 96339)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 0; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 0. No true fins - one dorsal finfold, far back, median, very low, continuous with caudal; caudal broad, rounded; ventral finfold very low, origin somewhat posterior to last gill pore, extending to anus (Ref. 6885). Dark brown, tan, gray, or brownish red, often tinted with blue or purple, never black, lighter ventrally, rarely with large patches of white; preserved specimens light brown (Ref. 6885).

Inhabits fine silt and clay bottoms (Ref. 6885). Enters large fishes by way of the mouth and anus and feed on its viscera and muscles (Ref. 6885). May greatly diminish catches taken with fixed gears (Ref. 6885). Produces mucilaginous slime when harassed (Ref. 6885). Probably exhibits hermaphroditism (Ref. 56947). Due to its primitive metabolism it is collected for research purposes (Ref. 6885). TBK: demerspelag.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Copulatory organ absent (Ref. 51361). Presence of bisexual juvenile gonad, requires further investigation regarding hermaphroditism (Ref. 56947). In one study (Ref. 40710), hermaphroditism is exhibited by only 0.2% of the individuals studied.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Fernholm, B., 1998. Hagfish systematics. p. 33-44. In J.M. Jørgensen, J.P. Lomholt, R.E. Weber and H. Malte (eds.) The biology of hagfishes. Chapman & Hall, London. 578 p. (Ref. 31276)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 11 December 2009

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: public aquariums

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 5.8 - 9.4, mean 7.1 °C (based on 54 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00288 (0.00170 - 0.00489), b=2.88 (2.73 - 3.03), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.2 ±0.70 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec = 28).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (45 of 100).

Eptatretus stoutii (Lockington, 1878)