Myxini (hagfishes) >
Myxiniformes (Hagfishes) >
Myxinidae (Hagfishes) > Myxininae
Etymology: Myxine: Ancient Greek word for a slimy fish: myxa, slime; -inus, one who, referring to copious amounts of slime produced by M. glutinosa. (See ETYFish); sotoi: In honor of Jules Marcelo Rosa Soto (b. 1970), Universidade do Vale do Itajai, for his work on the Brazilian marine fauna and for encouraging Mincarone to study hagfishes. (See ETYFish).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; non-migratory; depth range 690 - 810 m (Ref. 40869). Deep-water
Southwest Atlantic: Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 52.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40869)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Color of live specimens pinkish red with whitish head anterior to first slime pore; whitish middorsal stripe extending from caudal finfold to about over gill apertures. Six pairs of gill pouches; a 2-cusp multicusp on both anterior and posterior sets of cusps, total cusps 38-44. Pores: prebranchial 28-38; trunk 61-73; tail 11-13; total 101-119. Ventral finfold 4-6 mm high.
Of 30 specimens, 26 were females, 3 males, 1 hermaphrodite. Four females had large eggs about 20 x 6 mm, but none of the eggs with encapsulated anchor filaments. The species lives on the continental slope.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
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 (Ref. 51361 ).
Mincarone, M.M., 2001. Myxine sotoi, a new species of hagfish (Agnatha, Myxinidae) from Brazil. Bull. Mar. Sci. 68(3):479-483. (Ref. 40869)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 4.9 - 6.6, mean 5 °C (based on 5 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00115 (0.00045 - 0.00296), b=3.03 (2.80 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (41 of 100).
