hagfish

Also known as Myxinidae, hagfishes, hag fish, hag fishes, slime eel

Hagfish, of the class Myxini (also known as Hyperotreti) and order Myxiniformes , are eel-shaped jawless fish (occasionally called slime eels). Hagfish are the only known living animals that have a skull but no vertebral column, however they do have rudimentary vertebrae. Hagfish are marine predators and scavengers that can defend themselves against other larger predators by releasing copious amounts of slime from mucous glands in their skin.

AI overview

Hagfish are eel-shaped jawless fish found in the ocean that have a unique skeletal structure—a skull but no true vertebral column, making them the only living animals with this combination. When threatened by larger predators, hagfish defend themselves by releasing large amounts of slime from their skin, and they also hunt and scavenge for food on the ocean floor.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

hagfishes

Family

PhylumChordata
ClassMyxini
OrderMyxiniformes
FamilyMyxinidae

Habitatmarine

via

Research

1,103 papers

The hagfish genome and the evolution of vertebrates.Nature · 2024Marlétaz F, Timoshevskaya N, Timoshevskiy VA et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07070-3
Unravelling hagfish slime.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2019Chaudhary G, Ewoldt RH, Thiffeault JLDOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0710
From reductionism to synthesis: The case of hagfish slime.ReviewComparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology · 2021Bressman N, Fudge DDOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2021.110610
Mechanisms of gill-clogging by hagfish slime.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2023Taylor L, Chaudhary G, Jain G et al.DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0774
Odorant transport in a hagfish.Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology · 2024Cross TG, Mayo OC, Martin GS et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2024.111711
Hagfish genome sequence sheds light on early vertebrate genome evolution.Nature ecology & evolution · 2024DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02302-7
Leveraging the biotechnological promise of the hagfish variable lymphocyte receptors: tools for aquatic microbial diseases.ReviewFish & shellfish immunology · 2024Bela-Ong DB, Kim J, Thompson KD et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2024.109565
Physiology, biomechanics, and biomimetics of hagfish slime.ReviewAnnual review of biochemistry · 2015Fudge DS, Schorno S, Ferraro SDOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-060614-034048

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Pacific hagfish Myxine.jpg

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Myxinidae
taxon name: Myxinidae
taxon common name: mixín

Sources (5)

via Wikidata · CC0

~24 min read

Article

19 sections

Contents

Physical characteristics
Body features
Slime
Respiration
Nervous system
Eye
Cardiac function, circulation, and fluid balance
Musculoskeletal system
Reproduction
Feeding
Classification
Phylogeny
Commercial use
As food
In textiles
Skins
References
Further reading
External links

Although their exact relationship to the only other living group of jawless fish, the lampreys, was initially the subject of controversy, genetic evidence suggests that hagfish and lampreys are more closely related to each other than to jawed vertebrates, thus forming the superclass Cyclostomi. The oldest-known stem group hagfish are known from the Late Carboniferous, around 310 million years ago, with modern representatives first being recorded in the mid-Cretaceous around 100 million years ago.