Common Name
Cusk
Year Described
Ascanius, 1772
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 85-108
Anal Fin: 62-77
Pectoral Fin: 22-25
Pelvic Fin: 5-6
Gill Rakers: 11-13 (first arch)
Vertebrae: 63-67 total
Body elongate but robust and heavy bodied. Head large. Mouth large and extends to under rear margin of eye. Eye large. Lips thick. Jaws are almost equal in length. Teeth on premaxilla, vomer, palatines, and dentary. There is a single barbel on chin (< eye diameter). Dorsal fin single, long, and low. Anal fin much shorter than dorsal fin. Caudal fin almost joined or slightly joined with distinct notches in the membranes. Tail edge rounded. Pectoral fin rounded. Pelvic fin with fleshy rays. Scales cycloid and tiny. Lateral line arches anteriorly.
Color
Large adults uniformly brown to brownish gray grading to whitish on the belly. Fins body colored with a thick black submarginal area and white edge. Younger and smaller fish display dull golden bands on the body, oblique golden bars on head, and white slash marks on dorsal fin. Tip of pelvic fins black. Pectoral fins yellowish.
Size
Maximum size to 120cm TL but usually <60cm TL.
Habitat
Found on hard bottoms from 18-1185m, but usually shallower than 500m. Found in deeper water with lower latitude.
Range
Arctic Canada (Baffin Bay) to off New Jersey, USA. Also the northeastern Atlantic.
References
Coad, B.W., & J.D. Reist. 2018. Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada. University of Toronto Press. 618pp.