Spanish ling

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Spanish ling
Molva macrophthalma.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gadiformes
Family: Lotidae
Genus: Molva
Species:
M. macrophthalma
Binomial name
Molva macrophthalma
(Rafinesque, 1810)
Synonyms [2]
  • Phycis macrophthalmusRafinesque, 1810
  • Gadus elongatusOtto, 1821
  • Lota elongataOtto, 1821
  • Lotta elongataOtto, 1821
  • Molva dipterygia elongataOtto, 1821
  • Molva dypterygia macrophthalmaRafinesque, 1810
  • Molva elongataOtto, 1821

The Spanish ling (Molva macrophthalma), also called the Mediterranean ling and even blue ling , [1] [3] is a species of fish in the family Lotidae. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Description

It maximum length is 108 cm (3.54 ft). [3]

Habitat

Spanish ling lives in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and western Mediterranean; [1] [3] it is common in the Azores. It lives at moderate shallow waters, [4] being recorded at depths of 388–754 m (1,273–2,474 ft) in the Ionian Sea, and has also been found in the Aegean Sea. [5] [6]

Behaviour

It feeds on bony fish, squid and lobsters. [7] [8] Known parasites include Lernaeocera copepods. [9]

Related Research Articles

Cod Common name for the demersal fish genus Gadus

Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus Gadus is commonly not called cod.

Shortfin mako shark Species of shark

The shortfin mako shark, also known as the blue pointer or bonito shark, is a large mackerel shark. It is commonly referred to as the mako shark, as is the longfin mako shark. The shortfin mako can reach a size of 4 m (13 ft) in length. The species is classified as Endangered by the IUCN.

Sand shark Family of sharks

Sand sharks, also known as sand tiger sharks, grey nurse sharks or ragged tooth sharks, are mackerel sharks of the family Odontaspididae. They are found worldwide in temperate and tropical waters. The three species are in two genera.

Atlantic horse mackerel Species of fish

The Atlantic horse mackerel, also known as the European horse mackerel or common scad, is a species of jack mackerel in the family Carangidae, the jacks, pompanos and trevallies. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off Europe and Africa and into the south-eastern Indian Ocean. It is an important species in commercial fisheries and is listed as a Vulnerable species on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common dab Species of fish

The common dab is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish native to shallow seas around Northern Europe, in particular the North Sea, where it lives on sandy bottoms down to depths of about 100 metres (330 ft). It can reach 40 centimetres (16 in) in length and can weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), though most specimens grow no longer than 20 centimetres (7.9 in).

Common ling Species of fish

The common ling, also known as the white ling or simply the ling, is a large member of the family Lotidae, a group of cod-like fishes. It resembles the related rocklings, but it is much larger and has a single barbel. This species is unrelated to the pink ling, Genypterus blacodes, from the Southern Hemisphere. The common ling is found in the northern Atlantic, mainly off Europe, and into the Mediterranean Basin. It is an important quarry species for fisheries, especially in the northeastern Atlantic, although some doubts exist as the sustainability of the fisheries. As an edible species, it is eaten fresh, frozen, or dried, but also preserved in lye, while the roe is a delicacy in Spain.

Blackmouth catshark Species of shark

The blackmouth catshark is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, common in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Senegal, including the Mediterranean Sea. It is typically found over the continental slope at depths of 150–1,400 m (490–4,590 ft), on or near muddy bottoms. The youngest sharks generally inhabit shallower water than the older juveniles and adults. This slim-bodied species is characterized by the black interior of its mouth, a marbled pattern of pale-edged brownish saddles or blotches along its back and tail, and a prominent saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper edge of its caudal fin. It reaches lengths of 50–79 cm (20–31 in), with sharks in the Atlantic growing larger than those in the Mediterranean.

<i>Cepola macrophthalma</i> Species of fish

Cepola macrophthalma is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is found in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean from Senegal north to the British Isles. This species is known as the red bandfish, though this name is also given to other members of the genus Cepola.

Sailfin dragonet Species of fish

Callionymus pusillus, the Sailfin dragonet, is a species of dragonet common in the Eastern Atlantic, where it occurs on the Portuguese coast to as far north as Lisbon and south to Morocco, and also in the northern Mediterranean including the Adriatic, Aegean and Black seas as well as the coastsLebanon and Israel. It occurs on the southern Mediterranean shore as far east as Tunisia Males of this species grows to a length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) TL while females reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. In the areas of the Mediterranean where it occurs it is one of the commonest dragonet species, as it is the only species that has been recorded within many protected areas. It is a benthic species which occurs in shallow waters and prefers sandy bottoms down to 100 metres (330 ft). The males are territorial, aggressively defend their territories from other males and like other dragonets this species undergoes complex breeding behaviour which has 4 phases. This starts with courtship, the male and female then form a pair before ascending to the surface where they release eggs and milt. The spawning season runs from May to August in the Mediterranean and the eggs and larvae are pelagic. This species feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates such as worms and small crustaceans.

Small red scorpionfish Species of fish

Small red scorpionfish is a venomous Scorpionfish, common in marine subtropical waters. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic from the Bay of Biscay to Senegal, Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Mediterranean horse mackerel Species of fish

The Mediterranean horse mackerel, also known as the Black Sea horse mackerel, horse mackerel, Mediterranean scad, common scad, or simply scad, is a species of mackerel in the family Carangidae found in the eastern Atlantic from Bay of Biscay to Mauritania, including the Mediterranean Sea. It is a benthopelagic, subtropical, marine fish that can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. In the countries near the Mediterranean and Black Seas, it makes up a significant portion of fish catch, 54% of fish caught in the latter. Despite overfishing in the 1980s, catch numbers have leveled out and it is listed as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Molva is a genus of lotid fishes, the lings, with these currently recognized species:

Blackspot seabream Species of fish

The blackspot seabream, also known as the red seabream, is a marine ray-finned fish species in family Sparidae. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic from Norway to Mauritania, including Macaronesia and the western Mediterranean.

<i>Spicara maena</i> Species of fish

Spicara maena, the blotched picarel, is a species of ray-finned fish native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The male grows to a maximum length of about 25 cm (10 in), and the female reaches 21 cm (8 in). This fish is fished commercially in some areas.

Notoscopelus bolini is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was first described in 1975 by the American ichthyologist Basil Nafpaktitis and named in honour of the American marine biologist Rolf Ling Bolin who had reviewed the genus in 1959.

<i>Melicertus kerathurus</i> Species of crustacean

Melicertus kerathurus, the striped prawn or caramote prawn is a species of tiger prawn from the family Penaeidae which occurs in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which is an important species in commercial fisheries. It is the type species for the genus Melicertus.

The crested oarfish is a species of crestfish in the family Lophotidae. It is an oceanodromous fish ranging from waters 0–92 meters deep, but may get stranded in shallow waters.

Leptostomias gladiator is a species of fish in the family Stomiidae. It is sometimes called the scaleless dragonfish, but that name is shared with many other species.

Sudis hyalina is a species of fish in the family Paralepididae (barracudinas).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Nedreaas, K.; Nielsen, J.; Cook, R.; Fernandes, P.; Florin, A.; Lorance, P. (2014). "Molva macrophthalma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T198592A45132502. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T198592A45132502.en . Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Molva macrophthalma (Rafinesque, 1810)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Molva macrophthalma" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  4. Burton, Maurice; Burton, Robert (July 2, 2002). International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Leopard - marten. Marshall Cavendish. ISBN   9780761472667 via Google Books.
  5. Bayhan, Yusuf Kenan; Erguden, Deniz; Alagoz Erguden, Sibel; Altun, Ayhan (April 1, 2019). "First Substantiated Record of Molva macrophthalma (Rafinesque, 1810) in Southern Aegean Sea, Turkey". Thalassas: An International Journal of Marine Sciences. 35 (1): 271–274. doi:10.1007/s41208-018-0119-5. S2CID   134789338 via Springer Link.
  6. "Molva macrophthalma (Rafinesque, 1810)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility .
  7. "Blue Ling and Spanish Ling | Britishseafishing.co.uk". March 16, 2013.
  8. "Food Items - Molva macrophthalma". www.fishbase.se.
  9. Quigley, Declan T. G.; Declan MacGabhann; Douglas Herdson (2014). "Spanish or Mediterranean ling Molva macrophthalma (Rafinesque, 1810) in Irish and UK waters: further records and a review of records". Porcupine Marine Natural History Society Bulletin. 1: 33–35.