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Eptatretus cirrhatus (Forster, 1801)

Broadgilled hagfish
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Eptatretus cirrhatus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Eptatretus cirrhatus (Broadgilled hagfish)
Eptatretus cirrhatus
Picture by Ryan, P.


New Zealand country information

Common names: Blind eel, Broadgilled hagfish, Hagfish
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: abundant (always seen in some numbers) | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Ranges from the Northeast North Island to Snares Island (Ref. 45524), including Chathams Island (Ref. 45493). Reported to be most abundant around South Island, at depths from 1 to 1100 m (Ref. 85052). Abundant in Hawke Bay (Ref. 89422).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/nz.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.fish.govt.nz/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Paulin, C., A. Stewart, C. Roberts and P. McMillan, 1989
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Noms communs | Synonymes | Catalog of Fishes(Genre, Espèce) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Myxines (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);  cirrhatus: Latin for having tendrils, i.e., presumed to be a species of “lamprey” with barbels. (See ETYFish).
  More on author: Forster.

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

marin bathydémersal; non migrateur; profondeur 0 - 1100 m (Ref. 89422), usually 40 - 700 m (Ref. 31276).   Deep-water

Distribution Pays | Zones FAO | Écosystèmes | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Western Pacific: southern and eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Taille / Poids / Âge

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 97.0 cm TL mâle / non sexé; (Ref. 101563)

Description synthétique Clés d'identification | Morphologie | Morphométrie

Épines dorsales (Total) : 0; Rayons mous dorsaux (Total) : 0; Épines anales: 0; Rayons mous anaux: 0. This species differs from all its congeners except E. caribbeaus, E. goliath, E. menezesi and E. strahani by having 7 pairs of gill pouches and three-cusp multicusps on the anterior and posterior rows of cusps. It differs from E. caribbeaus in number of anterior unicusps (8-11 vs. 11-13), posterior unicusps (7-9 vs. 10-11), total cusps (43-51 vs. 54-58) and prebranchial pores (16-20 vs. 13-15); from E. goliath in number of anterior unicusps (8-11 vs. 11-13), total cusps (43-51 vs. 54) and trunk pores (46-53 vs. 57-58); from E. menezesi in number of posterior unicusps (7-9 vs. 9-12), total cusps (43-51 vs. 52-60), tail pores (10-14 vs. 14-18); from E. strahani by its number of prebranchial pores (16-20 vs. 13-16) (Ref. 85052).

Biologie     Glossaire (ex. epibenthic)

Occurs on soft bottoms of the continental slope (Ref. 7300). Able to form locally abundant populations and is often associated with inshore reefs (Ref. 85052).

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

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 ).

Référence principale Upload your references | Références | Coordinateur | Collaborateurs

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)

Statut dans la liste rouge de l'IUCN (Ref. 130435)

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