Krefft's Hagfish

Diagnosis: Body color light to dark brown, ventral finfold with unpigmented margin. Body extremely slender, depth about 2.4-2.9% of TL. Origin of the ventral finfold well anterior to pharyngocutaneous duct (PCD). Gill pouches 8 pairs. Rostrum rounded. A 3-cusp multicusp on anterior set, a 2-cusp multicusp on posterior set of cusps; total cusps count 32-38. Total pores 124-148 (Ref. 39281).

Copulatory organ absent. The gonads of hagfishes are situated in the peritoneal cavity. The ovary is found in the anterior portion of the gonad, and the testis is found in the posterior part. The animal becomes female if the cranial part of the gonad develops or male if the caudal part undergoes differentiation. If none develops, then the animal becomes sterile. If both anterior and posterior parts develop, then the animal becomes a functional hermaphrodite. However, hermaphroditism being characterised as functional needs to be validated by more reproduction studies (Ref. 51361 ).

Specimens were caught in winter months, between May and August, a period of lower water temperature due to the Falklands Current influence (Ref. 39281).