Merluccius polli Cadenat 1950
Creators: name: González-Lorenzo, J. Gustavo
name: Triay-Portella, Raül
name: González-Jiménez, José F.
name: Martín-Sosa, Pablo
name: Jiménez, Sebastián
name: González, José A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Gadiformes
Merlucciidae
Merluccius
Merluccius polli

description: Merluccius polli Cadenat, 1950
Material examined. – TFMCBM-VP/01952, one maturing female, 624 mm TL, 559 mm SL, off Playa Nueva, Tazacorte, West of La Palma, 28°36’30”N -17°56’51”W, 476-570 m, cruise PexLa-Palma 2009, St. 32, 31 May 2009, horizontal bottom longline.
Morphology data. – Morphometrics, selected body proportions, meristics and other distinguishing features of the Canary specimen of M. polli studied are shown in Table I, and compared with data from the literature (Cohen et al., 1990; Lloris et al., 2005, 2016). Body proportions, meristic data and other specific features of this specimen agree in all respects with published data (Tab. I). Its pectoral fin length almost reaches the lower limit of the species’ published range, probably reflecting different sizes of this fin: left fin nearly reaching the origin of the anal fin, but right fin reaching it (Tab. I; usually reaching the origin of anal fin, but not in large individuals, according to Cohen et al. (1990)). Radiographs corroborate five cervical vertebrae with three ribs on each, as attributed to this species by Cohen et al. (1990) and Lloris et al. (2005) (Fig. 2; Tab. I).TFMCBM-VP/01952 624 mm TL present study Cohenet al.(1990) Lloriset al.(2005 , 2016)Morphometrics and body proportionsmm in %SL in %HL in % SL in %HL Standard length 559 – – – – Pectoral fin length (left) 97.2 17.4 – 17.7- 21.8 – Pectoral fin length (right) 94.8 17.0 – 17.7- 21.8 – Pelvic fin length 73.5 13.2 – 13.0- 16.7 – Maximum body depth 64.3 11.5 – – – Head length 145 26.0 – 24.8- 29.1 – Snout length 51.6 9.2 35.5 30.2-35.9 Upper jaw length 71.4 12.8 49.2 45.3-51.3 Eye diameter 26.2 4.7 18.0 16.4-21.8 Inter-orbital width 36.7 6.6 25.3 24.1-28.0 Pectoral fin tips reaching … Nearly reaching (left) / reaching (right ) origin of anal fin Usually reaching origin of anal fin; not in large individualsMeristicsFirst dorsal fin rays I + 10 I + 7 - 12 Second dorsal fin rays 39 36 -41 Anal fin rays 39 36 -42 Pectoral fin rays 16 (left) / 15 (right) 14 -17 Upper gill rakers (1st arch) 2 1 -3 Lower gill rakers (1st arch) 8 7 -9 Total gill rakers (1st arch) 10 8 -12 Scales along lateral line ca. 116 98 -127 Total vertebrae 56 52 -57 Cervical vertebrae 5 5 Ribs on each cervical vertebrae 3 3 Precaudal vertebrae 28 23 -28 Caudal vertebrae 28 27 -31Other distinguishing featuresSoft rays All branched Scales on lacrimal Yes Dorsal surface of head Large and little depressed Caudal fin White-edged – – –Remarks.– A deep-water bathydemersal species, ranging from 50 to 1098 m depth, usually shallower than 550 m, living close to the bottom on the continental shelf and slope (Maurin, 1963; Cohenet al., 1990; Lloriset al., 2005; Manchihet al., 2018). Geographically, it is an eastern Atlantic species, distributed along the West African shelf and slope, from a locality between Cape Juby (Atlantic Morocco) and Cape Bojador (Western Sahara) (Maurin, 1963; Manchihet al., 2018) and southward into southwest Africa near Cape Frio, Namibia, including the Cape Verde Islands (Reiner, 2005), ranging 29°N- 19°S, 19°W- 15°E (Cohenet al., 1990; Maurin, 1990; Lloriset al., 2005; Manchihet al., 2018). At the northern limit of its distribution area, this nonmigratory species (Lloriset al., 2005) is only represented by a few large individuals (500-630 mm TL) living at depths greater than 500 m (Maurin, 1963). –
description: Published as part of González-Lorenzo, J. Gustavo, Triay-Portella, Raül, González-Jiménez, José F., Martín-Sosa, Pablo, Jiménez, Sebastián & González, José A., 2020, Merluccius polli and M. senegalensis (Merlucciidae) as first records from the Canary Islands (north-eastern Atlantic), with morphology data, pp. 57-60 in Cybium 44 (1) on page 58, DOI: 10.26028/cybium/2020-441-007, http://zenodo.org/record/10493458