Wisner and McMillan. Review of new world hagfishes of the genus Myxine 



539 



wide yellow ventral band extends slightly above rows 

 of slime pores, continuing in a variably wide band to 

 the yellow face. 



Description Counts and proportions are given in 

 Tables 1-7. Body slightly deeper than wide; tail slen- 

 der, width about 33% of its length, its length 15% of 

 TL; head narrow, pointed; tip of rostrum variably 

 acute to rounded; a 2-cusp multicusp on both the 

 anterior and posterior sets of cusps; VFF usually low, 

 0-6 mm, averaging 1.6 mm; CFF thin and wide 

 around slender tail; body color reddish to dark brown, 

 top of head dark; prominent yellow band ventrally 

 extending slightly above rows of slime pores, con- 

 tinuing forward and widening into large blotches 

 anterior to GA and to yellow face; large eggs range 

 in numbers and sizes between 9 (24x8 mm) in a 330 

 mm female, and 16 (21x7 mm) in one of 345 mm TL. 



Distribution Principally in and near the Straits of 

 Magellan; however, three collections are from farther 

 north (two off Argentina: 48°18'S, 65°06'W, and 

 50°00'S, 68°30'W, and one off Chile at 48°29'S, 

 78°46'W). Frequently taken with M. affinis (Fig. 3). 



Comments The sex ratio of our material is unbal- 

 anced: of 86 specimens, 71 are female, 12 male, and 

 3 hermaphroditic. Although the multicusp pattern 

 and number of gill pouches is the same as M. affinis, 

 M. australis may be distinguished by fewer unicusps, 

 fewer trunk and total pores, and shorter TL of ma- 

 ture specimens. 



Myxine affinis Giinther, 1 870 



Synonymy Muraenoblenny olivacea Lacepede, 

 1803: 6524 ("olive without spots, ventral surface 

 whitish; no pectoral fins, no appearance of other fins; 

 copious slime production"); presumably from the 

 Straits of Magellan [nomen dubium]. 



Myxine affinis Giinther, 1870, Catalog 8:511 

 ("Eleven rather stout teeth in each of two series, the 

 foremost strongest and more confluent at the base 



than the others. Hab. ? Twelve inches long") 



Norman, 1937:2-8 (examination of type; 11 teeth in 

 each series; body too dried and hardened for slime 

 pore counts). 



Diagnosis A 2-cusp multicusp on both the anterior 

 and posterior sets of cusps; six gill pouches each side; 

 VFF variably developed; color reddish-brown to purple. 



Description Counts and body proportions are given 

 in Tables 1-7. Body slightly deeper than wide; ros- 

 trum triangular, tip rounded; barbels dark at base, 



pale distally; VFF yellowish , usually low, averaging 

 3 mm, but ranging from 0.5 to 13 mm, only 3 speci- 

 mens with VFF between 8 and 13 mm; CFF wide, 

 rarely with pale margin; tail about 15% of TL, its 

 depth about 38% of its length; body reddish-brown 

 to purple, head region somewhat lighter; narrow yel- 

 low band ventrally limited to below the lines of pores, 

 often extending as intermittent patches to the yel- 

 lowish face; GA and slime pores with narrow pale 

 margins; numbers and sizes of large eggs range from 

 36 (20x6 mm) in a female of 550 mm TL to 17 (26x9 

 mm) in one of 475 mm TL. 



Distribution Within or closely adjacent to the 

 Straits of Magellan (Fig. 3). 



Comments Frequently taken with M. australis but 

 distinguished by higher unicusp and trunk slime pore 

 count, as well as by generally larger eggs and a longer 

 body. Sex ratio of our material is unbalanced; of 256 

 specimens sexed, 171 (67%) are female, 48 (19%) male 

 and 37 (14%) hermaphroditic. 



Myxine mcmillanae Hensley, 1 99 1 



Myxine mcmillanae Hensley, 1991:1040-1043. 



Diagnosis A 2-cusp multicusp on both the anterior 

 and posterior sets of cusps; six gill pouches (rarely 

 seven) each side; color dark bluish-gray to brown; 

 head whitish to first slime pores. 



Description Counts and proportions are given in 

 Tables 1-7. Body slightly deeper than wide; tail length 

 13% of TL, its depth 40% of its length; of 43 specimens 

 two have seven pouches on the left side, one has seven 

 on right side; VFF 3-6 mm high; body dark bluish-gray 

 to brown; head pale to first slime pores; rostrum trian- 

 gular, rounded at tip; VFF, CFF and margins of PCD, 

 GA and slime pores pale; 7 to 11 large eggs (27-36 by 

 8—9 mm); the polar caps weakly developed. 



Distribution Known only from the Caribbean Sea, 

 west and southwest of Puerto Rico and from St Croix, 

 U.S. Virgin Islands (Fig. 3). 



Comment Hensley ( 199 1 ) did not report on the sex 

 of his material. The 10 specimens available to us 

 (SI090-21) were all females. No hermaphroditism 

 was noted. 



Myxine limosa Girard, 1858 



Myxine limosa Girard, 1858:223-224. (abundance: 

 Grand Manan Isle; Bay of Fundy; 50 fm). 



