Morphology Data of Eptatretus poicilus
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Zintzen, V., C.D. Roberts, L. Shepherd, A.L. Stewart, C.D. Struther, M.J. Anderson, M. McVeagh, M. Noren and B. Fernholm, 2015
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral eel-like
Cross section
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Diagnosis: 8 pairs of gill pouches and gill openings, strongly mottled with pale brown, dark brown, and white-beige body colour, 3/3 multicusps, and 77–86 total slime pores; distinguished from all other myxinids except Eptatretus gomoni, Eptatretus luzonicus, Eptatretus indrambaryai, Eptatretus okinoseanus, and Eptatretus octatrema by having 8 gill pouches associated with 8 branchial openings; differs from those 5 Indo-Pacific species by having 3-cusp multicusps on the posterior row of teeth (versus 2-cusp multicusps). (Ref. 115309).

Description: 3/3 multicusp pattern; anterior unicusps, 11 (paratypes, 10–12; additional material, 9–12); posterior unicusps, 10 (paratypes, 9–11; additional material, 9–12); left-side cusps, 27 (paratypes, 25–28; additional material, 24–30); prebranchial pores, 15 (paratypes, 13–16; additional material, 13–17); branchial pores, 7 (paratypes, 6–8; additional material, 6–9); trunk pores, 46 (paratypes, 45–50; additional material, 43–51); tail pores, 10 (paratypes, 10–13; additional material, 9–13); total pores, 78 (paratypes, 78–86; additional material, 77–86); 8 pairs of gill pouches associated with 8 pairs of gill apertures (9 pouches and 9 apertures on one specimen in additional material); morphometrics, as percentage of TL; preocular length, 6.1% (5.3–6.7%); prebranchial length, 23.7% (21.6–24.1%); branchial length, 8.8% (7.9–10.6); trunk length, 53.1% (50.4–55.0%); tail length, 15.6% (14.3– 16.5%); greatest body depth including ventral finfold, 7.9% (7.1–9.4%); greatest body depth excluding ventral finfold, 7.7% (6.9–9.0%); depth at pharyngocutaneous duct: 8.0% (6.6–8.0); depth at cloaca, 8.0% (6.5–8.6%); tail depth, 9.6% (8.1–9.8%); body subcylindrical, slightly deeper than wide at prebranchial and branchial regions, laterally compressed at trunk and strongly compressed at tail; rostrum bluntly rounded; 2 minute bilaterally symmetrical nasal-sinus papillae in the dorsal surface of the nasal sinus (sometimes difficult to observe); eyespots usually well defined, circular to elliptical in shape, white to pale pink; 3 pairs of barbels on head, 1st 2 subequal in size 1.2–1.4% TL, (1.2–2.1% TL), 3rd one longer 1.9% TL (1.6–2.4% TL), and adjacent to oral cavity; ventral finfold small, 1.3 mm (0.7–2.0 mm), no ventrolateral branchial finfolds; its origin difficult to assess and located within anterior 59% (51–61%) of body length, extending to cloaca; caudal finfold rounded, thick, beginning immediately posterior to edge of cloaca, extending around tail to dorsal surface, ending about over cloaca; gill aperture well-spaced and linearly arranged; last branchial duct confluent with pharyngocutaneous duct on left side, forming a larger aperture; posterior tip of dental muscle reaches 6th (5th to 7th) gill pouches (counting from head), with length 24.6% TL (24.8–28.9% TL); ventral aorta branches at 8th (7th to 8th) gill pouch (Ref. 115309).

Colour: distinct body coloration unique in New Zealand Myxinidae; body strongly mottled with pale brown, dark brown, and white-beige, usually with 2 or 3 distinct colours in a single individual; pattern irregular but always with well-defined margins separating the different colours; caudal finfold sometimes partly pink; eyespots well defined, white to pale pink; barbels dark brown with white tips or mottled, or with a combination of these 2 patterns; slime pore contours usually of the same colour as the body, but sometimes contrasting with a paler (white) rim; branchial apertures and pharyngocutaneous duct openings white to pink (Ref. 115309).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Eptatretus poicilus

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels 3
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin

Caudal fin

Attributes

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
Comments & Corrections
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