Morphology Data of Merluccius australis
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba, 1990
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features none
Body shape lateral elongated
Cross section oval
Dorsal head profile more or less straight
Type of eyes more or less normal
Type of mouth/snout more or less normal
Position of mouth terminal
Type of scales
Diagnosis

Body more slender than other hakes. Pectoral fins long and slender, stripe reaching anal fin in young individuals but not in fish over 50 cm in SL. Gill rakers short and thick with blunt tips. Color is steel gray on back grading to silvery white ventrally.

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Merluccius australis

Lateral Lines 1 Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line 144 - 171
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels 0
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb 8 - 12
on upper limb 2 - 4
total 11 - 15
Vertebrae
preanal
total 53 - 58

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes no striking attributes
Fins number 2
Finlets No. Dorsal   0 - 0
Ventral  0 - 0
Spines total 1 - 1
Soft-rays total 48 - 57
Adipose fin absent

Caudal fin

Attributes more or less truncate; more or less normal

Anal fin(s)

Fins number 1
Spines total 0 - 0
Soft-rays total 40 - 46

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  more or less normal
Spines     0
Soft-rays   13 - 16
Pelvics Attributes  more or less normal
Position    thoracic  before origin of D1
Spines     0
Soft-rays   7 - 7
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