Grouser'S Hagfish

This species is distinguished from its congeners except E. aceroi, E. profundus, E. wandoensis, E. wayuu by the number of gill apertures arranged in a straight line, 5 pairs (6 in one specimen of E. grouseri); 3/2 multicusp pattern of teeth; differs from these five-gilled congeners by having: total cusps 44-48 (vs. 58 in E. aceroi, 40-43 in E. wandoensis, 41-43 in E. wayuu); prebranchial pores 11-12 (vs. 44 in E. aceroi, 14-18 in E. wandoensis, 24 in E. wayuu); trunk pores 42-48 (vs. 107 in E. aceroi, 48-51 in E. profundus, 38-40 in E. wayuu); tail pores 13-15 (9-11 in E. wandoensis); total pores 71-79 (vs. 174 in E. aceroi, 81-86 in E. profundus) (Ref. 123790). Description: Ventral finfold vestigial; caudal finfold well developed (Ref. 31788).

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 ).