Common Name
Argentine Rockling
Year Described
Shcherbachev, 1995
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 62 (third fin)
Anal Fin: 51
Pectoral Fin: 25-26
Pelvic Fin: 7-8
Gill Rakers:
Vertebrae: 46-47 total
Body very elongate and tapering posteriorly. Head about one fifth of standard length. Eye less than 20% HL. Upper jaw projects slightly. Rear of jaw reaches about to rear margin of eye or slightly short of it. Teeth present on premaxilla, vomer, and dentary. Two distinct barbels on snout adjacent to anterior nostrils. Snout barbels about 15% of HL. A single chin barbel. There are three dorsal fins: the first a single short pseudospine (< eye diameter), the second a series of very short hairlike rays lacking membranes, and the third a long and low fin consisting of membrane bound segmented rays. First dorsal fin rests in a groove on top of head. Anal fin long and low with origin well behind D3. Pectoral fin large. Pelvic fin with second ray more elongated than rest. Tail rounded and separated from D3 and anal fins. Body scaled. Head naked. Lateral line interrupted and distinctly notched under anterior third of D3. Pores present on head.
Color
Described as uniformly brownish-gray grading to paler ventrally. Fins gray.
Size
Holotype measures 28.8cm SL.
Habitat
Occurs on the bottom from 770-1010m.
Range
Known only from the Rio Grande Rise off Argentina.
References
Balushkin, A.V. 2009. On the first occurrence of the rockling Gaidropsarus pakhorukovi Shcherbachev (Gairdropsarini, Lotidae, Gadidae) and on species diagnostics of G. pakhorukovi and G. parini Svetovidov. Journal of Ichthyology, 49(9), 723-729.
Shcherbachev, Y.N. 1995. New species of rockling, Gaidropsarus pakhorukovi (Gadidae), from the Rio Grande Rise (Southwest Atlantic). Journal of Ichthyology, 35(8), 233-235.
Other Notes
Closely related to the SE Pacific Gaidropsarus parini but differs in the length of the upper jaw and snout barbel length (~25% HL vs. ~15% HL). As far as known these two species are allopatric in distribution.