Eptatretus taiwanae (Shen & Tao 1975)

Gill apertures usually 6. Slime pores: prebranchial 16-19; branchial 0; trunk 36-42; tail 6-9; total 60-68. Gill apertures nonlinear and crowded.

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 ).

分布於臺灣的東北海域。

主要為底拖網捕獲，全年皆產。早先盲鰻並無人食用，皆以下雜魚處理，近來才有餐廳特別烹調，價格昂貴。食用時需先剝皮，去除內臟後方可食用，以辣炒九層塔來食用，味道不錯。

體延長呈圓柱狀，體後方側扁。眼退化為皮膚所覆蓋。無上下頜。口腔外緣具四對鬚；口腔外側左右各有兩列齒，其內列齒之2-3顆齒之基部愈合，齒列式(6-8)+3/2+(6-7)。鰓孔每側6個，彼此間距小，聚集成群而呈不規則分布，左側最後一個大於其餘鰓孔。體側各有一列黏液孔，可依位置區分為鰓前區、鰓區、鰓肛區及肛後區等四區，本種魚之鰓區不具黏液孔，故黏液孔數分別為(16-19)+0+(36-42)+(6-9)，總數為62-67。無鱗。肛門位於體後端。無背、臀、胸及腹鰭，僅有尾鰭。體色呈灰褐色，背部中央無白帶。本種為1975年由沈世傑教授等發表於台灣的新種。/Quadratus taiwanae /及/Paramyxine taiwanae /為其同種異名。

主要棲息在較淺海域，營寄生生活，一般吸附於其他魚類的鰓上或峽部，亦可由鰓部咬穿體壁，食內臟及肌肉，僅留皮骨；有時會吸附並咬食落網的魚類。