Revised 30 Dec. 2023
PDF version (with illustrations and additional information)

Reddish Hagfishes
Subfamily RUBICUNDINAE Fernholm, Norén, Kullander, Quattrini, Zintzen, Roberts, Mok & Kuo 2013

Rubicundus Fernholm, Norén, Kullander, Quattrini, Zintzen, Roberts, Mok & Kuo 2013 Latin for red or ruddy, referring to reddish coloration of all species

Rubicundus eos (Fernholm 1991) after Eos, goddess of morning-glow, referring to its pink color

Rubicundus lakeside (Mincarone & McCosker 2004) named for the Lakeside Foundation of California, for supporting Mincarone’s work

Rubicundus lopheliae (Fernholm & Quattrini 2008) of Lophelia, i.e., Lophelia pertusa, a deep-sea, cold-water, habitat-forming coral where holotype was collected and observed

Rubicundus rubicundus (Kuo, Lee & Mok 2010) Latin for red or ruddy, referring to its pink body color

Multi-Gill Hagfishes
Subfamily EPTATRETINAE Bonaparte 1850

Eptatretus Cloquet 1819 heptá (Gr. ἑπτά), hole; trētós (Gr. τρητός), perforated (i.e., with holes), referring to seven gill apertures on what would later be described as Homea banksii (=E. cirrhatus) [range within genus is 6–14 pairs of gill apertures]

Eptatretus aceroi Polanco Fernandez & Fernholm 2014 in honor of marine biologist Arturo Acero Pizarro (b. 1954), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, for his “curiosity about, and important contributions to, the study of Colombian marine fishes”

Eptatretus alastairi Mincarone & Fernholm 2010 in honor of Alastair Graham (b. 1964), Fish Collection Manager, CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), Canberra, Australia, for help and hospitality offered to second author

Eptatretus albiderma Song & Kim 2020 albus (L.), white; derma (Gr.), skin, referring to whitish skin color

Eptatretus ancon (Mok, Saavedra-Díaz & Acero P. 2001) named for the research vessel B/I Ancon, from which holotype was captured

Eptatretus astrolabium Fernholm & Mincarone 2010 Latinization of Astrobale, referring to Astrolabe Bay (Papua New Guinea), only known area of occurrence, which was named in 1827 by explorer Jules Sébastien César Dumont d’Urville after his ship Astrolabe

Eptatretus atami (Dean 1904) named for Atami, west coast of Sagami Bay, Japan, type locality

Eptatretus bischoffii (Schneider 1880) in honor of Schneider’s colleague, anatomist and biologist Theodor Ludwig Wilhelm Bischoff (1807–1882)

Eptatretus bobwisneri Fernholm, Norén, Kullander, Quattrini, Zintzen, Roberts, Mok & Kuo 2013 replacement name of E. wisneri McMillan 1999, which became a junior homonym of Paramyxine wisneri Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994 when Paramyxine was subsumed into Eptatretus; the name continues to honor Robert (“Bob”) L. Wisner (1921–2005), McMillan’s colleague at Scripps Institution of Oceanography (San Diego, California, USA), for “invaluable” assistance with her hagfish research and his other contributions to ichthyology

Eptatretus burgeri (Girard 1855) in honor of German physicist and biologist Heinrich Bürger (ca. 1804–1858), who collected holotype

Eptatretus caribbeaus Fernholm 1982 Caribbean, specifically the western Caribbean, only known area of occurrence

Eptatretus carlhubbsi McMillan & Wisner 1984 a “giant hagfish” named in honor of a “giant in ichthyology,” Carl L. Hubbs (1894–1979)

Eptatretus cheni (Shen & Tao 1975) in honor of vertebrate zoologist Jianshen (“Johnson”) T. F. Chen (1898–1988), Director, National Taiwan Museum (Taipei), for “important” contributions to the taxonomy of Taiwanese fishes

Eptatretus chinensis Kuo & Mok 1994 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: China, specifically South China Sea off southeastern Taiwan, type locality

Eptatretus cirrhatus (Forster 1801) adjectival form of cirrus (L.), tuft of hair or fringe, i.e., having tendrils, incorrectly presumed by Forster to be a “lamprey” with barbels

Eptatretus cryptus Roberts & Stewart 2015 from kryptόs (Gr. κρυπτός), hidden or secret, referring to its similar morphology to E. cirrhatus, with which it has been confused in the past

Eptatretus deani (Evermann & Goldsborough 1907) in honor of American ichthyologist Bashford Dean (1867–1928), American Museum of Natural History (New York), for his work on the embryology of E. stoutii

Eptatretus fernholmi (Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994) in honor of Bo Fernholm (b. 1941), Swedish Museum of Natural History, for his contributions to hagfish biology

Eptatretus fritzi Wisner & McMillan 1990 in honor of Frithjof (Fritz) Ohre, “friend, willing, eager, and industrious volunteer” who helped the authors collect specimens

Eptatretus fudgei Fernholm & Mincarone 2023 in honor of Douglas S. Fudge, Chapman University (Orange, California, USA), for his many contributions to the knowledge of the physiology, biomechanics and biomimetics of hagfishes and hagfish slime

Eptatretus goliath Mincarone & Stewart 2006 the giant slain by David in the biblical book of Samuel, now a synonym for “giant”; at 1275 mm TL and 6.2 kg, the largest known hagfish

Eptatretus gomoni Mincarone & Fernholm 2010 in honor of Martin F. Gomon (b. 1945), Senior Curator, Ichthyology, Museum of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), for “distinguished” contributions to ichthyology

Eptatretus goslinei Mincarone, Plachetzki, McCord, Winegard, Fernholm, Gonzalez & Fudge 2021 in honor of John M. Gosline (1944–2016), University of British Columbia, who “pioneered” work on the biomechanics of hagfish slime

Eptatretus grouseri McMillan 1999 in honor of McMillan’s son, David “Grouser” McMillan, a Chief Engineer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, for “continued encouragement” of Mom’s hagfish studies and for his knowledge and love of ships and the sea

Eptatretus hexatrema (Müller 1836) héx (Gr. ἕξ), six; trḗma (Gr. τρῆμα) hole, referring to six gill apertures per side

Eptatretus indrambaryai Wongratana 1984 in honor of Thai fisheries biologist Boon Indrambarya (1907–1994), “one of the senior-most pioneer fisheries biologists of Thailand” [often dated 1983 but publication appeared in 1984]

Eptatretus laurahubbsae McMillan & Wisner 1984 in honor of Laura Clark Hubbs (1893‒1988), friend and co-worker, who contributed to the life and works of her husband, ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs (1894–1979)

Eptatretus longipinnis Strahan 1975 longus (L.), long; pinnis (scientific Neo-Latin), finned, referring to well-developed fold on ventral fins that extends to branchial region

Eptatretus luzonicus Fernholm, Norén, Kullander, Quattrini, Zintzen, Roberts, Mok & Kuo 2013 –icus (L.), belonging to: Luzon Island, Philippines, type locality [replacement name of E. fernholmi McMillan & Wisner 2004, which became a junior homonym of Paramyxine fernholmi Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994 when Paramyxine was subsumed into Eptatretus]

Eptatretus mcconnaugheyi Wisner & McMillan 1990 in honor of Ronald R. McConnaughey, marine technician and diver, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who helped develop gear used to capture holotype

Eptatretus mccoskeri McMillan 1999 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, for collecting holotype and for his important contributions to marine biology

Eptatretus mendozai Hensley 1985 in honor of Luis H. “Uchy” Mendoza, captain of the research vessel Crawford from which holotype was collected, for his “experiential knowledge and academic curiosity of the sea, without whose determination and nautical wisdom” the author would never have discovered this hagfish

Eptatretus menezesi Mincarone 2000 in honor of Naércio Aquino Menezes (b. 1937), Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, for his “extensive” contribution to Brazilian ichthyology

Eptatretus minor Fernholm & Hubbs 1981 Latin for less, referring to small size of mature specimens when compared with E. springeri

Eptatretus moki (McMillan & Wisner 2004) in honor of Hin-kiu Mok (b. 1947), National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan, for his many “outstanding” contributions to hagfish knowledge

Eptatretus multidens Fernholm & Hubbs 1981 multus (L.), many; dens (L.), tooth, referring to high tooth count (three fused teeth in each row)

Eptatretus nanii Wisner & McMillan 1988 in honor of zoologist Alberto Nani Caputo (1913–1989), University of Buenos Aires, for his work on Chilean hagfishes, and for providing specimens

Eptatretus nelsoni (Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994) in honor of ichthyologist Gareth J. Nelson (b. 1937), then with the American Museum of Natural History, for contributions to the promotion of phylogenetic systematics

Eptatretus octatrema (Barnard 1923) from oktṓ (Gr. ὀκτώ), eight; trḗma (Gr. τρῆμα), hole, referring to eight gill apertures per side

Eptatretus okinoseanus (Dean 1904) –anus (L.), belonging to: Okinose, Honshu Island, Japan, type locality

Eptatretus poicilus Zintzen & Roberts 2015 from poikilos (Gr. ποικίλος), mottled or varicolored, referring to its distinctive mottled color pattern

Eptatretus polytrema (Girard 1855) polý- (Gr. πολύ-), many; trḗma (Gr. τρῆμα), hole, referring to 16 gill apertures per side

Eptatretus profundus (Barnard 1923) Latin for deep, referring to its capture at 732 m

Eptatretus sheni (Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994) in honor of Shih (or Shieh)-Chieh Shen, National Taiwan University, for his contributions to the knowledge of Taiwanese fishes

Eptatretus sinus Wisner & McMillan 1990 Latin for bay or gulf, referring to its apparent restriction to the midriff area of the Gulf of California, México

Eptatretus springeri (Bigelow & Schroeder 1952) in honor of American shark biologist Stewart Springer (1906–1991), then with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “who discovered this interesting cyclostome”

Eptatretus stoutii (Lockington 1878) in honor of Arthur B. Stout (1814–1898), surgeon and corresponding secretary of the California Academy of Sciences

Eptatretus strahani McMillan & Wisner 1984 in honor of Australian zoologist Ronald Strahan (1922‒2010), for “important” contributions to the study of hagfishes

Eptatretus strickrotti Møller & Jones 2007 in honor of Bruce Strickrott (b. 1964), pilot of the deep-submergence vehicle Alvin, who captured this and other mobile hydrothermal vent animals with a slurp gun

Eptatretus taiwanae (Shen & Tao 1975) of Taiwan, off the coasts of which this species occurs

Eptatretus wadgensis Augustina, Sreeram, Sukumaran, Sreekumar, Jose, Joshi & Gopalakrishnana 2022 -ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Wadge Bank, Lakshadweep Sea, India, type locality

Eptatretus walkeri (McMillan & Wisner 2004) in honor of Harold J. Walker, Jr., Collections Manager, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (San Diego, California, USA), for help in providing hagfish specimens and data, and for contributions to ichthyology

Eptatretus wandoensis Song & Kim 2020 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea, type locality

Eptatretus wayuu Mok, Saavedra-Díaz & Acero P. 2001 named for the Wayuu aborigines who live on the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia, type locality

Eptatretus wisneri (Kuo, Huang & Mok 1994) in honor of American ichthyologist Robert L. Wisner (1921–2005), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (San Diego, California, USA) for his contributions to hagfish biology

Eptatretus yangi (Teng 1958) in honor of Hung-Jia (spelled Hung-Chia in Pinyin) Yang, Taiwanese Fisheries Research Institute (Kaohsiung), who collected type series

Hagfishes
Subfamily MYXININAE Rafinesque 1815

Myxine Linnaeus 1758 from mýxa (Gr. μύξα), mucus or slime, and, correspondingly, myxínos (μυξῖνος), that which produces mucus or slime

Myxine affinis Günther 1870 Latin for related, presumably referring to its similarity to M. glutinosa

Myxine australis Jenyns 1842 Latin for southern, referring to its distribution in the Straits of Magellan (southern Chile)

Myxine capensis Regan 1913 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, type locality

Myxine circifrons Garman 1899 circi-, presumably from circularis (L.), round; frons (L.) face or brow, referring to “rounded” labrum, compared with “acute” labrum of M. acutifrons (=australis) proposed in the same publication

Myxine debueni Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of Spanish ichthyologist and oceanographer Fernando de Buen y Lozano (1895–1962), for his “extensive work” on South American fishes

Myxine fernholmi Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of Bo Fernholm (b. 1941), Swedish Museum of Natural History, for his work on hagfish anatomy, physiology and systematics

Myxine formosana Mok & Kuo 2001 -ana (L.), belonging to: Formosa, historical name of Taiwan, type locality

Myxine garmani Jordan & Snyder 1901 in honor of American ichthyologist-herpetologist Samuel Garman (1843–1927), Harvard University, for his “excellent work” on Myxine

Myxine glutinosa Linnaeus 1758 Latin for viscous or sticky, referring to its ability to produce copious amounts of slime or mucus

Myxine greggi Mincarone, Plachetzki, McCord, Winegard, Fernholm, Gonzalez & Fudge 2021 in honor of John Gregg, founder and president of the Western Flyer Foundation, an “ardent supporter of marine biology research and a hagfish enthusiast. He joined the team during part of the Galapagos expedition and was on the boat when the specimens were collected.”

Myxine hubbsi Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of American ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs (1894–1979), “primarily for his foresight in instigating the worldwide study on hagfishes”

Myxine hubbsoides Wisner & McMillan 1995 –oides, Neo-Latin from eī́dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: referring to similarity to M. hubbsi

Myxine ios Fernholm 1981 acronym for Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Wormley, Surrey, England, which supplied holotype

Myxine jespersenae Møller, Feld, Poulsen, Thomsen & Thormar 2005 in honor of biologist Åse Jespersen (b. 1955), University of Copenhagen, for her contributions to the reproductive biology of hagfishes

Myxine knappi Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of American ichthyologist Leslie W. Knapp (1929–2017), National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), for supplying the authors with study material

Myxine kuoi Mok 2002 in honor of molecular biologist Chien-Hsien Kuo, National Chiayi University (Taiwan), for his contributions to hagfish taxonomy

Myxine limosa Girard 1859 Latin for muddy, referring to its seafloor habitat

Myxine martinii Mincarone, Plachetzki, McCord, Winegard, Fernholm, Gonzalez & Fudge 2021 in honor of Frederic (Ric) Martini, “who for many years taught at the Shoals Marine Laboratory (University of New Hampshire, Cornell University) and introduced many students to the wonders of hagfish through his lectures and his research publications”

Myxine mccoskeri Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, for his work on Caribbean and Panamanian fishes, and for providing holotype

Myxine mcmillanae Hensley 1991 in honor of marine biologist Charmion B. McMillan (b. 1925), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for her “fine” contributions to hagfish science

Myxine paucidens Regan 1913 paucus (L.) few; dens (L.) tooth, referring to 13 total teeth compared to 15–24 teeth in similar species

Myxine pequenoi Wisner & McMillan 1995 in honor of German Pequeño Reyes (b. 1941), Universidad Austral de Chile, for his work on Chilean fishes and for providing holotype

Myxine phantasma Mincarone, Plachetzki, McCord, Winegard, Fernholm, Gonzalez & Fudge 2021 phántasma (Gr. φάντασμα), apparition, phantom or ghost, referring to its transparent skin, the only species of Myxine known to lack melanin-based pigments

Myxine robinsorum Wisner & McMillan 1995 –orum, commemorative suffix (L.), plural: in honor of American ichthyologists C. Richard Robins (1928–2020) and his wife Catherine, for their work on the fishes of the tropical western Atlantic [originally spelled robinsi; emended speling is in prevailing usage]

Myxine sotoi Mincarone 2001 in honor of Jules Marcelo Rosa Soto (b. 1970), Universidade do Vale do Itajai, for his work on the Brazilian marine fauna and for encouraging Mincarone to study hagfishes

Nemamyxine Richardson 1958 nḗma (Gr. νῆμα), thread, i.e., a thin, elongate Myxine

Nemamyxine elongata Richardson 1958 Latin for prolonged, referring to its extremely slender form

Nemamyxine kreffti McMillan & Wisner 1982 in honor of German ichthyologist-herpetologist Gerhard Krefft (1912–1993), Institute für Seefischerei (Hamburg), on the occasion of his 70th birthday, for his many “valuable” contributions to oceanic ichthyology; Krefft also loaned holotype to the authors [not to be confused with his great uncle, German-born Australian adventurer and zoologist Johann Ludwig (Louis) Gerard Krefft (1830–1881), for whom several fishes are named]

Neomyxine Richardson 1953 néos (Gr. νέος), new, i.e., a new genus related to Myxine

Neomyxine biniplicata (Richardson & Jowett 1951) bini (L.) two by two; plicatus (L.) folded, referring to paired fin-folds extending anteriorly from behind branchial apertures

Neomyxine caesiovitta Stewart & Zintzen 2015 caesius (L.), blue gray; vitta (L.), ribbon or band, referring to distinctive blue band along sides

Notomyxine Nani & Gneri 1951 nótos (Gr. nότος), south (from Nótos, Greek god of the south wind), i.e., a southern genus (restricted to the Antarctic Ocean) related to Myxine

Notomyxine tridentiger (Garman 1899) tri– (L.), three; dens or dent- (L.), tooth; –ger, Latin suffix meaning to bear or carry, i.e., having three united anterior oral cusps