Merlangius
Merlangius merlangus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Gadiformes |
Family: | Gadidae |
Genus: | Merlangius Garsault, 1764 |
Species: | M. merlangus
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Binomial name | |
Merlangius merlangus | |
Synonyms | |
Merlangius merlangus, commonly known as whiting or merling, is an important food fish in the eastern North
Description
Merlangius merlangus has three dorsal fins with a total of 30 to 40 soft rays and two anal fins with 30 to 35 soft rays. The body is long and the head small and a chin barbel, if present, is very small. This fish can reach a maximum length of about 70 centimetres (27+1⁄2 inches). The colour may be yellowish-brown, greenish or dark blue, the flanks yellowish grey or white and the belly silvery. There is a distinctive black blotch near the base of each pectoral fin.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Whiting are native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Their range extends from the southeastern Barents Sea and Iceland to Scandinavia, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, Portugal, the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. They occur on sand, mud and gravel seabeds at depths down to about 100 metres (300 feet; 50 fathoms).[2]
In 2014, their conservation status was classified at vulnerable in the Baltic Sea.[3]
Uses
Until the late 20th century, Whiting was a cheap fish, regarded as food for the poor or for
Parasites
Whiting and related other
References
- . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Merlangius merlangus (Linnaeus, 1758): Whiting". FishBase. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ HELCOM (2013). "HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea species in danger of becoming extinct" (PDF). Baltic Sea Environmental Proceedings (140): 72. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
- ^ "Whiting". www.BritishSeaFishing.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "Merlangius merlangus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 19 March 2006.