Blue grenadier
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| Macruronus novaezelandiae (Hector, 1871) |
The blue grenadier, hoki, blue hake, New Zealand whiptail, whiptail or whiptail hake, Macruronus novaezelandiae, is a merluccid hake of the genus Macruronus, found around southern Australia, and New Zealand, at depths of between 10 and 1,000 m. Its length is between 60 and 120 cm.
The blue grenadier is similar in appearance to the rattails, with large eyes and a very elongate tapering body ending in a pointed tail consisting of the fusing of the second dorsal fin and the anal fin. There is a short spinous first dorsal fin. This fish-eating carnivore has a large mouth containing sharp pointed teeth used to catch and eat lantern fish, its main prey, but crustaceans and squid are also taken.
Body colour is pale blue-green above, silver on the sides and belly, and the fins are darker.
The blue grenadier is the subject of a large commercial fishery industry in New Zealand. It has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council [1] as well-managed and sustainable.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- "Macruronus novaezelandiae". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. April 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
