Blue antimora
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 Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
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| Antimora rostrata (Günther, 1878) |
The blue antimora or violet cod, Antimora rostrata, is a morid cod of the genus Antimora, found on the continental shelf of all oceans except the north Pacific, at depths of between 350 and 3,000 m. Its length is between 40 and 75 cm.
The blue antimora is a large deepwater species with a sharply pointed snout that has bony ridges extending back from the tip to pass under each eye. The first dorsal fin ray is extremely elongate, and the anal fin, like the dorsal, is divided into two parts.
The wide mouth contains narrow bands of small teeth used to grasp the free swimming crustaceans and squid that make up the bulk of the blue antimora's diet. Like all other morid cods this species has a swim bladder with two forward projecting sacs that are attached to the back of the skull. Males have muscles stretched along the side of this air-filled swim bladder that can be vibrated to produce a loud drumming sound, probably for courting purposes.
Body colour is very variable, ranging from pale blue-grey to olive-green, to deep violet or blue-black.
[edit] References
- "Antimora rostrata". 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
