''Myxine limosa'', or Girard's Atlantic hagfish, is a jawless fish in the genus ''

Myxine ''Myxine'' is a genus of hagfish, from the Greek μυξῖνος (''myxinos'', "slimy"). In 2021, three new species of ''Myxine'' were described from the Galápagos including '' M. phantasma'', the only species of ''Myxine'' to not have melan ...

''.

Description

The

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

like species grows up to long. The color ranges from reddish brown to dark purple. There are no visible eyes. The mouth is surrounded by 6 barbels, and there are 5 or 6

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

pouches on either side, with one exterior connection.

Similar species

Myxine glutinosa ''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''. Distribution The distribution of ''Myxine glutinosa'' in the eastern Atlantic ...

'' is grayish pink and grows up to long. North American ''

Eptatretus ''Eptatretus'' is a large genus of hagfish. Species There are currently 49 recognized species in this genus: * ''Eptatretus aceroi'' Polanco Fernández & Fernholm, 2014 (Acero's hagfish)Polanco Fernandez, A. & Fernholm, B. (2014): A New Specie ...

'' hagfishes have 5–14 gill pouches, which open independently to the exterior. ''

Petromyzon marinus The sea lamprey (''Petromyzon marinus'') is a parasitic lamprey native to the Northern Hemisphere. It is sometimes referred to as the "vampire fish". Description The sea lamprey has an eel-like body without paired fins. Its mouth is jawless, ...

'' has 7 pairs of gill pouches, one top nostril, and small visible eyes.

Taxonomy

The species was described by

Charles Frédéric Girard Charles Frédéric Girard (8 March 1822 – 29 January 1895) was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology. Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, as a student of Louis Agassiz. In ...

, a French zoologist, in 1859.

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in the Western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, from

Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...

, Canada, south to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, at depths of , sometimes venturing into 30-m-shallow water.

References

Myxinidae Fish of North America {{Jawless-fish-stub