New record of the slimy eel Eptatretus polytrema (Girard, 1855) (Myxiniformes, Myxinidae) in the extreme north of Chile

Abstract

We report the capture of a single specimen of the slimy eel Eptatretus polytrema (Girard, 1855) off the coast of the city of Arica, northern Chile. This find extends the currently known range of the species by 1,600 km northwards from the city of Caldera (Atacama Region) to Puerto Montt (Lake Region). We discuss the importance of finding this species in the extreme north of Chile and the need for additional sampling to confirm the continuous range of E. polytrema between Caldera and Arica.

Keywords

• Arica
• Chilean coast
• Pacific Coast
• range extensio