Atlantic hagfish exploit prey captured by other taxa

Abstract

Observations of Atlantic hagfish Myxine glutinosa exploiting prey captured, but not fully consumed, by the horse star Hippasteria phrygiana and Jonah crab Cancer borealis are described. Such interactions are defined as encounter competition. These represent the first reported observations of this type of interspecific interaction for Atlantic hagfish.

Ontogenetic scaling of the morphology and biomechanics of the feeding apparatus in the Pacific hagfish Eptatretus stoutii

“…All species of myxinids are recognized as opportunistic scavengers (Martini, 1998), with carrion serving as the dominant dietary staple of most species (Smith, 1985). Although reports of feeding habits of myxinids in the wild are relatively scarce (Auster & Barber, 2006), E. stoutii are known to feed on sergestid decapods (prawns), cephalopods, euphausiids (krill), small fishes and polychaetes (Johnson, 1994). Male E. stoutii have been observed feeding on myxinid eggs (Worthington, 1905).…”

“…Hagfishes (Myxinidae) have persisted for >330 million years with a conserved feeding apparatus (Bardack, 1991) comprising dentition, a supporting internal cartilaginous skeleton and a complex network of muscles (Dawson, 1963; Clark & Summers, 2007). All species of myxinids occur in benthic marine habitats ranging from 15 to 5000 m in depth and are opportunistic scavengers on various species of vertebrates and invertebrates (Martini, 1998; Auster & Barber, 2006). During a feeding event, myxinids grasp food with dental plates that are repeatedly protracted from the mouth, then forcefully retracted.…”

“…Due to the relative inaccessibility of their environments and the intractability of embryonic and juvenile specimens, the ecology and reproductive habits of myxinids are poorly understood. Reports on feeding behaviours of myxinids in the wild are scarce and very little is known about hatchlings and juveniles (Powell et al , 2005; Auster & Barber, 2006). Instead of experiencing larval stages, myxinids undergo direct development in which hatchlings and juveniles resemble miniature adults.…”

Deepwater Program: Lophelia II, continuing ecological research on deep-sea corals and deep-reef habitats in the Gulf of Mexico

“…In addition, Davies and others (2010) and Mienis and others (2012) noted large aggregations of small benthic fauna (likely crustaceans), a potential food resource, undergoing nightly migrations off the bottom at the VK826 site. The high proportion of fish remains in the diets of the hagfish E. minor could reflect that this species is more of an active predator than previously thought, an observation also recently noted for a congener (Zintzen and others, 2011) and for Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa (Auster and Barber, 2006). Bright (1970) also noted the preponderance of small Crustacea in the diets of GOM deep-sea fishes, but he did not present individual fish data.…”

The complete mitochondrial genome of a new deep-sea hagfish Eptatretus sp. Nan-Hai (Myxinidae: Eptatretus) from the South China Sea

“…Hagfishes, a cosmopolitan group of craniate chordates, are considered to be the most ancient of the jawless fishes, which have attracted attention owing to their position at a crucial point in the evolutionary transition to a truly vertebrate (Ota et al 2007). Recently, it was shown that hagfishes have the ability to find and take advantage of falling carrion faster than most other benthic scavengers, and a strategy of active predation is also adopted by hagfishes to maintain large biomasses (Tamburri and Barry 1999;Auster and Barber 2006;McLeod and Wing 2007;Zintzen et al 2011). Thus, hagfish displays a pivotal biological status in benthic ecosystems.…”