Notothenia microlepidota
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Nototheniidae
Genus: Notothenia
Species:
N. microlepidota
Binomial name
Notothenia microlepidota
Hutton, 1875
Synonyms[1]
  • Paranotothenia microlepidota (Hutton, 1875)

Notothenia microlepidota, the black cod or small-scaled cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Pacific waters around New Zealand and Macquarie Island. This species can reach a total length of 70 cm (28 in). It is a commercially important species.

Taxonomy

Notothenia microlepidota was first formally described in 1875 by the English-born New Zealand scientist Frederick Wollaston Hutton with the type locality given as Dunedin and Dunedin and Moeraki in New Zealand.[2] The specific name microlepidota means "small scaled" which is thought to be a reference to its small, numerous scales when compared to N. angustata which Wollaston described in the same paper.[3]

Description

Notothenia microlepidota juveniles have a silvery appearance and their caudal fin is clearly forked. The adults have a less obviously forked caudal fin. The colour of the body is silver, yellow and reddish-brown. The body is covered in very small scales and there are two lateral lines which have a considerable overlap.[4] The shortbased first dorsal fin has 6-7 spines, the second dorsal fin has 27-28 soft rays while the anal fin has 23-24 soft rays. This species attains a maximum total length of 70 cm (28 in).[1]

Distribution and habitat

Notothenia microlepidota is restricted to New Zealand and Macquarie Island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.[1] They have been found in depths of a few metres off Campbell Island and have been trawled at 1,000 m (3,300 ft) offshore.[5]

Biology

In the Campbell Plateau, salps are the most important prey, followed by amphipods(particularly Parathemisto gaudichaudii) and percophidids. Crabs such as the portunid crab Nectocarcinus bennetti are also important prey. These prey items imply benthic feeding habits, typical for notothenids.[6]

Being a subantarctic species, the black cod has special adaptations such as antifreeze proteins in its blood, as well as adipose tissues to offset its lack of a swim bladder, giving it neutral buoyancy.[7][8] The sablefish, Anoplopoma fimbria, is occasionally called black cod, as well, but it is not a true cod. In New Zealand, the Maori cod is also known as "black cod". They are a common prey item of seals.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Notothenia microlepiota" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Notothenia". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  3. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 April 2021). "Order Perciformes: Suborder Notothenoididei: Families Bovichtidae, Pseaudaphritidae, Elegopinidae, Nototheniidae, Harpagiferidae, Artedidraconidae, Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae and Percophidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Fish, Small Scaled Black Cod". Marine Life Database. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  5. ^ McMillan, P.J.; Francis, M.P.; Paul, L.J.; et al. (2011). New Zealand fishes. Volume 1: A field guide to common species caught by bottom and midwater fishing. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report. Vol. 68. p. 247.
  6. ^ Malcolm R. Clark (1985). "The food and feeding of seven fish species from the Campbell Plateau, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 19 (3): 339–363. doi:10.1080/00288330.1985.9516100.
  7. ^ Zulema L. Coppes Petricorena; George N. Somero (2006). "Biochemical adaptations of notothenioid fishes: Comparisons between cold temperate South American and New Zealand species and Antarctic species". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A. 147: 799–807. doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2006.09.028.
  8. ^ Joseph T. Eastman and Arthur L. DeVries (1982). "Buoyancy Studies of Notothenioid Fishes in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica". Copeia. 1982 (2): 385–393. doi:10.2307/1444619.
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