Species: Merluccius gayi, South Pacific hake
Merluccius gayi (Guichenot, 1848)
South Pacific hake
Body elongate, compressed, tapering to a narrow tail base; head long (26-32% of SL), 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; 18-25 gill rakers; 2 separate dorsal fins, the 1st shorter and triangular (I, 9-12), the 2nd with a long base and partly divided by a notch, 36-42 rays; anal fin similar to 2nd dorsal fin, 36-42; well developed, non filamentous pelvic fins, 7 rays, situated before the pectorals; tail fin short, slightly forked; scales small, 106-130 on the lateral line.
Color: Back metallic blue; flanks silvery.
Size: 87cm.
Habitat: pelagic.
Depth: 50-500 m.
Chile to Ecuador and the Galapagos.
Note: M. gayi includes two subspecies; M. G. peruanus from Peru, and M. g. gayi, from Chile.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- In & Offshore
- Offshore
- Water Column Position
-
- Near Surface
- Near Bottom
- Water column only
- Mid Water
- Habitat
-
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathypelagic
- Feeding Group
-
- No Data
- Carnivore
- Diet
-
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Pelagic crustacea
- Data
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
-
- Pelagic larva
- No data
- Pelagic
- Global Endemism
-
- All species
- East Pacific endemic
- TEP non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Temperate Eastern Pacific, primarily
- Island (s)
- Peruvian province, primarily
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continent
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 87
- Depth Range Min
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- 50
- Depth Range Max
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- 500
