| White-headed hagfish | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Infraphylum: | Agnatha |
| Class: | Myxini |
| Order: | Myxiniformes |
| Family: | Myxinidae |
| Genus: | Myxine |
| Species: | M. ios |
| Binomial name | |
| Myxine ios Fernholm, 1981 | |
The white-headed hagfish (Myxine ios) is a species of jawless fish of the family Myxinidae (hagfish). [2] [3] [4]
Its scientific name alludes to the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences (IOS), Wormley, Surrey, which supplied the holotype. [5]
Myxine ios is a marine bathydemersal fish, [6] living at depths of 614–1,625 m (2,014–5,331 ft). It is non-migratory, living in the North Atlantic waters off Iceland, Ireland and the western Sahara. [7] [8]
The white-headed hagfish may grow up to 57 centimetres (1.87 ft) long. [5] It is a seven-gilled hagfish; it can be distinguished from related species by its large number of tooth cusps: between 44 and 51. [9] The Irish M. ios population is distinguished from the southern variety by its white head and whitish middorsal or midventral line. [10]
M. ios is a scavenger of dead or disabled fish, which it bores into. Its eggs are large, 2–3 centimetres (0.79–1.18 in). [11]
Hagfish, of the class Myxini and order Myxiniformes, are eel-shaped jawless fish. They are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, although hagfish do have rudimentary vertebrae. Hagfish are marine predators and scavengers. Hagfish defend themselves against predators by releasing copious amounts of slime from glands in their skin.
Myxine mcmillanae, the Caribbean hagfish, is a species of hagfish. It is a scaleless, eel-like fish found in Caribbean waters that feeds off material from the surface that drifts down. It is rarely seen as it lives in very deep water from 2,300-4,950 ft and likes to burrow into the mud. Their bodies are grey with contrasting white heads. They have seven internal gills connected to a single opening on each side of the body.
Myxine is a genus of hagfish, from the Greek μυξῖνος. It is the type genus of the class Myxini.
The southern hagfish is a hagfish of the genus Myxine.
Myxine glutinosa, known as the Atlantic hagfish in North America, and often simply as the hagfish in Europe, is a species of jawless fish of the genus Myxine.
The short beard codling is a species of marine bony fish in the family Moridae. Native to the western Atlantic Ocean, it is found on the continental slope at depths between 50 and 1,620 m.
The rock cook, or small-mouthed wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the wrasse family Labridae which is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Europe.
The Jeffrey's goby is a species of goby fish.
Coryphaenoides brevibarbis, also called the shortbeard grenadier, is a species of deep-sea fish in the family Macrouridae.
Cataetyx laticeps is a species of fish in the family Bythitidae.
The common Atlantic grenadier is a species of fish in the family Macrouridae.
The salmon smooth-head, also called the deepsea slickhead, is a species of fish in the family Alepocephalidae.
The elongate smooth-head, also called the elongate slickhead, is a species of fish in the family Alepocephalidae.
Agassiz' smooth-head is a species of fish in the family Alepocephalidae. It is named for the scientist and engineer Alexander Agassiz (1835–1910), who commanded the 1899 survey aboard the USS Albatross on which the fish was discovered.
The bigeye rockling is a species of fish in the family Lotidae.
The longfin smooth-head is a species of fish in the family Alepocephalidae.
Stomias boa, also known as the boa dragonfish, scaly dragonfish, dragon-boa or boa scaly dragonfish, is a species of deep-sea fish in the family Stomiidae.
Stomias boa ferox is a subspecies of deep-sea fish in the family Stomiidae.
Myxine circifrons, the whiteface hagfish, is a marine bathydemersal species of fish in the family Myxinidae. It is found off Southern California, Peru, and Chile and grows to 65 centimetres (26 in) total length.
Myxine fernholmi, also known as Fernholm's hagfish, is a species of jawless fish in the family Myxinidae. It is named after Swedish ichthyologist Bo Fernholm.
