Raniceps raninus

Frog cod ( Raniceps raninus )

The frog cod ( Raniceps raninus ) is a Knochenfischart from the order of cod -like ( gadiformes ). He lives in the North Sea, the Kattegat and the Skagerrak, around the British Isles, the Channel, on the French Atlantic coast and on the coast of southern and central Norway all the way up to Trondheim. In contrast to most other cod -like fish its economic importance is low.

Features

The frog cod reaches a maximum length of 27.5 cm, but usually remains at 20 cm. The elongated body is dark brown or bluish - brown and very slimy. With the exception of the pectoral fins pointing towards the outside of the fins and the lips are bright The head is frog -like, distinctly flattened and wide. It occupies a quarter of the body length. The lower jaw is provided with a small Bartel is shorter than the upper jaw.

The first dorsal fin consists of only three short fin rays, the second is long, as is the anal fin. Dorsal and anal fin are separated by the small tail fin. The wide front seat pelvic fins are long and filiform. A lateral line is not found either on the head or on the fuselage.

Way of life

The frog lives coastal cod on veralgten rocky soils, especially at depths 10-20 meters but also up to 100 meters deep. It is not often, and lives relatively high spatial fidelity, hidden as a loner. Frog cod feed on worms, molluscs, small starfish and small fish, such as gobies. The breeding season extends from May to September. The fish spawn in depths of 50 to 70 meters. Juveniles look like tadpoles.

System

The family is led in older classifications as a cod family ( Gadidae ), in contrast, more recent, according to their phylogenetic position as the sister group of the Unicorn cod ( Bregmacerotidae ) Aaldorsche ( Muraenolepididae ) and cod ( Gadidae ) as an independent family.