Eptatretus polytrema
Chilean hagfish | Slimy eel
Same Genus
Distribution
Description
Demersal, non-migratory scavenger endemic to the Chilean coast. Individuals can grow to 93cm, and have been found at depths of 10-600m. Body is elongate, and the head and mouth are small with three pairs of barbels. Recently, its geographic distribution was reclassified to span as far north as the city of Arica in Chile, formerly thought to extend only from Valparaiso to Talcahuano.
Information
Max Size: N/A cm
Sea Temperature Range: N/A
Depth: N/A
Habitat Generalization Index: N/A
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
Occurrence: Widespread (50% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Jo Schmid