FERNHOLM and HUBBS: WESTERN ATLANTIC HAGFISHES OF THE GENUS EPTATRETUS 



slime pores in the branchial area); 3) Paramyxine 

 defined in this way is a geographically, and we 



believe phylogenetically, distinct group limited to 

 the waters of southeastern Asia. 



Key to the Western Atlantic Species of Eptatretus 



la. Three anterior teeth in outer row and two anterior teeth in inner row fused at bases 2 



lb. Three anterior teeth in each row fused at bases 4 



2a. Gill apertures 6 or 7. Body and head stout (Figures 3,4) 3 



2b. Gill apertures 5. Body thin. Head narrow. One specimen, 308 mm (Figure 5). South of 



Bahama Islands sp. B 



3a. Slime pores 84-92. Maximum known length 590 mm. Northeastern Gulf of Mexico .. E. springeri 



3b. Slime pores 78. One specimen, 433 mm. North of Bahama Islands sp. A 



4a. Gill apertures 7 E. multidens? 



4b. Gill apertures 6 (rarely 5) 5 



5a. A thin whitish middorsal stripe. Total cusp count of teeth 46-54. Maximum known size 



395 mm. Northeastern Gulf of Mexico E. minor 



5b. No whitish middorsal stripe. Total cusp count of teeth 52-58. Caribbean Sea and 



Atlantic Ocean off French Guiana and Haiti 6 



6a. Slime pores 75. Total cusp count of teeth 58. One specimen 380 mm. North of Haiti sp. C 



6b. Slime pores 87-91. Total cusp count of teeth 52-57. Maximum known length 655 mm. 



Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean off French Guiana E. multidens 



CM I ' 

 



' I ' I ' I ' I I I I I I I I I I 1 CM 

 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 15 



FIGURE 3. —Eptatretus springeri (MCZ 39939). 



73 



