Species: Merluccius bilinearis, Silver Hake
Merluccius bilinearis (Mitchill, 1814)
Silver hake
Body elongate, compressed, tapering to a narrow tail base; head large (24-27% of SL) and flattened, with a V shape crest on top; large eyes and mouth, lower jaw slightly projecting; jaw teeth long, strong and pointed, in 2 irregular rows; teeth on center but not sides of roof of mouth; 16-18 long, pointed gill rakers; 2 separate dorsal fins, the 1st shorter and triangular, the 2nd with a long base (37-42 rays)and partly divided by a notch; anal fin similar to 2nd dorsal fin, 37-42 rays; well developed, non filamentous pelvic fins, 7 rays, situated before the pectorals; tail fin short, slightly forked; scales small; 101-110 scales on the lateral line.
Grey above, the remainder silvery white.
Size: 76 cm.
Habitat: on and nocturnally pelagic above soft bottoms; in estuaries and onto and below the continental shelf.
Depth: 55-914 m.
Florida to Newfoundland.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine
- Brackish
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom + water column
- Near Bottom
- Mid Water
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Estuary
- Sand & gravel
- Water column
- Mud
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Data
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Diet
-
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Zooplankton
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- Data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
-
- Extends North of GC
- All species..
- Continent only
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Residency
-
- Vagrant
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Temperate (>35N)
- IUCN Red List
-
- Listed
- Near threatened
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 76
- Depth Range Min
-
- 55
- Depth Range Max
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- 914
