Common Name
Northern Grenadier-hake
Year Described
Holt & Byrne, 1906
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 9-10; 105-111
Anal Fin: 95-96
Pectoral Fin: 13-14
Pelvic Fin: 8-9
Gill Rakers: 3-5 + 9-12
Vertebrae: 17-18 + 83
Body elongate and compressed; similar to a macrourid in body shape. Rear of body strongly tapering posterior to the trunk to a threadlike tail. Head large (5.5-6.5 times in SL). Forehead indented at level of front margin of eye. Snout short and blunt. Eye very large. Mouth large, terminal and oblique. Jaw extends to rear of eye. Teeth large in both jaws (single row) and on vomer (single row). Barbels absent on chin or nostrils. Pseudobranchs present. Dorsal fin with two sections with a very small gap in between them. Anterior dorsal fin rounded. Rest of fin long and low. Anal fin much shorter than dorsal both in length and ray size. No anterior lobe on anal fin. Fins continuous at tip of tail. Rays of median fins simple. Pectoral fin inserts below dorsal origin and is quite long (extending almost to anus). Pelvic fin quite small under or anterior to pectoral base. Caudal fin absent. Scales cycloid and tiny. Lateral line quite straight or slightly arched.
Color
Body uniformly silvery. Can have black speckles on the dorsum.
Size
Maximum size to 52.5cm SL.
Habitat
Known from 150-700m on both continental and insular shelves and slopes.
Range
Known only from off Canada in region and a few other records on the eastern Atlantic.
References
Cohen, D.M., Inada, T., Iwamoto, T. & N. Scialabba. 1990. FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(10). Rome: FAO. 442 p.
Evseenko, S. A., & Suntsov, A. V. (1995). Larvae of Lyconus pinnatus (Merlucciidae) from the southwestern Pacific, with comments on the diagnostic characters of species of the genus Lyconus. Journal of Ichthyology, 35, 98-110.
Lloris, D., Matallanas, J. & P. Oliver. 2005. Hakes of the World (Family Merlucciidae): an annotated and illustrated catalogue of hake species known to date (No. 2). FAO. 59 p.