Family Melanonidae
Taxonomy: Family with a single genus and two species, both in Australian waters.
Distribution, ecology and habitat: Restricted to temperate and subantarctic waters of all oceans; meso- and bathypelagic far from shore in 150-6300 m; one species in Antarctic waters.
Characteristics:
Body long, slender, tapering to a very narrow caudal peduncle; head blunt, with many small, fleshy ridges and large lateral-line pores; chin barbel absent; single dorsal and anal fins long-based, posterior segments of both fins sometimes detached; caudal fin separate, slightly rounded; pelvic fin below and just before pectoral-fin base, rays connected by membrane, fin not reaching anus; anus just before anal-fin origin; scales small, cycloid, absent from dorsal and anal fins.
Size: To about 28 cm
Reproduction and early life history: Little known of life history. The spawning, eggs and larvae are unknown; the smallest described stage is a 15 mm SL juvenile with a dark body, small eyes, all fins formed and a similar body shape to adults.
Fisheries: No commercial catch, rarely taken even by deep commercial trawlers.
Australian species:
- Melanonus gracilis Günther, 1878 Pelagic Cod CAAB 37224015
- Melanonus zugmayeri Norman, 1930 Arrowtail Cod CAAB 37224016
References:
Cohen, D.M. 1986. Family 91: Melanonidae, pp. 328-329, In Smith, M.M.& P.C. Heemstra. (eds.) Smiths' Sea Fishes. Macmillan South Africa, Johannesburg. 1047 pp.
Fahay, M.P. & D.F. Markle. 1984. Gadiformes: development and relationships, pp. 265-283. In Moser H.G., W.J. Richards, D.M. Cohen, M.P. Fahay, A.W. Kendall, Jr. & S.L. Richardson (eds). Ontogeny and Systematics of Fishes. Am. Soc. Ichthyol. Herpetol. Spec. Publ. No. 1. Allen Press Inc. Lawrence, USA.
Howes, G.J. 1991. Anatomy, phylogeny and taxonomy of the gadoid fish genus Macruronus Günther, 1873, with a revised hypothesis of gadoid phylogeny. Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. Hist.) Zool. 57(1): 77-110.
Lindquist, D.C., R.F. Shaw & T. Farooqi. 2006. Melanonidae: Pelagic Cods, arrowtails, pp. 629-631 In Richards, W.J. (ed). Early Stages Of Atlantic Fishes: An Identification Guide For The Western Central North Atlantic. CRC Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Boca Raton, FL, 2640 pp.