Eucla Cod, Euclichthys polynemus McCulloch 1926
Other Names: Bearded Cod
Eucla Cod, Euclichthys polynemus. Source: Australian National Fish Collection, CSIRO. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial
Summary:
A pale dusky cod becoming silvery below, with a blackish area on the underside of the head, chest and around the anus, long black pelvic fins, a black tip on the anterior part of the dorsal fin, and a narrow black margin on the caudal fin and rest of the dorsal fin. The inside of the mouth and gill chamber is white.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Euclichthys polynemus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3427
Eucla Cod, Euclichthys polynemus McCulloch 1926
More Info
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Distribution |
Western Tasmania and western Victoria, to off Rowley Shoals, north Western Australia. Elsewhere, the species occurs off New Zealand. Mostly inhabits the upper continental slope. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin I, 12-14 + 70-82; Anal fin I, 84-101; Pectoral fin 19-20; Pelvic fin 4; Caudal fin 32; Lateral line scales 84-86; Vertebrae 14-15 + 51-54 = 66-69. Body shallow (15-18% SL), elongate, slightly compressed, tapering posteriorly; caudal peduncle extremely slender. Head small (19-22% HL); circular in cross section; eyes of moderate size (31-36% HL); interorbital of moderate breadth (54-70% eye diameter); mouth large (upper jaw length 53-58% HL), nearly horizontal, tip of maxillary extending past eye; snout not protruding in advance of jaws; teeth uniformly tiny, narrow band in each jaw; chin without barbel. Scales small, cycloid, not extending onto unpaired fins; 84-86 oblique rows intersecting lateral line; lateral line smoothly curved with flexure above pectoral fin. Anus immediately before anal fin. Two separate dorsal fins, first with short base, second very elongate, of uniform height; anal fin subdivided into tall anterior lobe with short base, followed by much longer based low posterior segment; caudal fin asymmetrical, with flattened but angled posterior margin, lower portion larger than upper. Pelvic fin rays filamentous, unconnected by membranes, arising below and well forward of pectoral-fin base, outer ray divided into three branches at one third of distance from base, first few rays reaching well past anal-fin origin. |
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Biology |
Eucla cods have a ventral light organ containing bioluminescent bacteria. |
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Etymology |
The specific name polynemus is from the Greek poly (= many, very) and nema (= thread), presumably in reference to the long, thread-like appearance of the pelvic-fin rays. |
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Species Citation |
Euclichthys polynemus McCulloch 1926, Biological Results of the Fishing Experiments carried on by the F.I.S. Endeavour 1909-1914 5(4): 174, pl. 44(2). Type locality: Great Australian Bight southwest of Eucla, Southern Australia, depth 190-450 fathoms. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Eucla Cod, Euclichthys polynemus McCulloch 1926
References
Cohen, D.M. 1990. Families Bregmacerotidae, Euclichthyidae, Gadidae. pp. 16-89 in Cohen, D.M., Inada, T., Iwamoto, T. & Scialabba, N. FAO Species Catalogue. Gadiform fishes of the world (order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 10 442 pp.
Gomon, M.F. 1994. Families Moridae, Melanonidae, Euclichthyidae, Merlucciidae. pp. 324-340 figs 290-303 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Euclichthyidae. pp. 316 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Last, P.R. & Pogonoski, J.J. 2020. Revision of the fish family Euclichthyidae (Pisces: Gadiformes) with the description of two new species from the Western Pacific. Zootaxa 4758(2): 231-256 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4758.2.2
May, J.L. & Maxwell, J.G.H. 1986. Field Guide to Trawl Fish from Temperate Waters of Australia. Hobart : CSIRO Division of Marine Research 492 pp.
McCulloch, A.R. 1926. Report on some fishes obtained by the F.I.S. Endeavour on the coasts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South and South-Western Australia. Part 5. Biological Results of the Fishing Experiments carried on by the F.I.S. Endeavour 1909-1914 5(4): 157-216 figs 1-5 pls 43-56
Stewart, A.L. & Roberts, C.D. 2015. 102 Family Euclichthyidae, pp. 745-746 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 3 pp. 577-1152.
Williams, A., Althaus, F., Pogonoski, J., Osterhage, D., Gomon, M., Graham, K., Appleyard, S.A., Gledhill, D., Bray, D., McMillan, P., Green, M., Doyle, S., Graham, A., Tanner, J. & Ross, A. 2018. Composition, diversity and biogeographic affinities of the deep-sea (200–3000 m) fish assemblage in the Great Australian Bight, Australia. Deep-Sea Research II 157-168: 92-105.
