MARKET NAME: COD
COMMON NAME: Pacific Cod. See literature references.
NON-ENGLISH AND VERNACULAR NAMES: Pacific cod, Alaska cod, Grey cod, True cod, Morue du Pacifique (French), Bacalao del Pacifico (Spanish), Ma-dara (Japanese), Tikhookeanskaya treska and treska (Russian). See literature references.
ORIGINAL REFERENCE: Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius, 1810. Mem. Acad. Sci. Petersb., 2: 350.
SYNONYMS: Gadus pygmaeus Pallas, 1811; Gadus auratus Cope, 1873; Gadus branti Hilgendorf, 1875; Gadus callarias macrocephalus Schmidt, 1904; Gadus morhua macrocephalus Berg, 1933.
See literature references.
NAMED SUBSPECIES:N/A.
DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES: Coloration: Color gray to brown above, lighter below, back and sides generally with numerous brownish spots or vermiculations; fins, with the exception of first anal and ventrals, dusky; lateral line pale; no dark blotch above axil of pectoral fin. See literature references.
Morphology:

Size - To 45 inches in length. See literature references.

Shape - Body moderately elongate, its depth fitting approximately 4¾ times in its length; compressed and tapering behind, caudal fin square-cut. See literature references.

Head - Head large, relatively broad, narrowed anteriorly, fitting about 3 times into body length. Interorbital wide, 1½ times wider than diameter of eye, very slightly convex; interorbital space 18 to 25% of head length. Snout blunt, projecting beyond mouth. Mouth moderately large, terminal; lower jaw shorter than upper. Chin with a well developed barbel about equal to eye diameter in length. Eye moderate, about ½ snout length in adult, fitting approximately 6 times into head length. Gill openings very wide, extending upward to at least the level of the pectoral fins. Gills 4 in number, with a slit behind the fourth; no pseudobranchiae present. Gill rakers of moderate size, about equal to pupil in length, 3+17 in number. Edge of preopercle usually covered by skin. Lateral line pores present on head. See literature references and illustration.

Dentition - Teeth in jaws stong, cardiform, arranged in narrow bands; vomer toothed; palatine without teeth. See literature references.

Osteology - Cranium without the expanded V-shaped crests seen in

Melanogrammus (borne on the frontals); occipital keel not greatly developed; suborbital bones moderately large; maxillary reaching past front of eye to about middle of orbit. Spine on top of first vertebra tightly connected to a narrow crest at the rear of the skull; transverse processes of vertebrae not swollen at tip; single hypural bone attached to last vertebra. No part of the skeleton expanded and ivory-like. See literature references.

Dorsal fin - Dorsal fin base long, extending almost the length of the back. Dorsal fin divided into 3 well-separated parts (separate fins), bearing about 13, 18 and 16 rays respectively. First part originating posterior to head (predorsal distance greater than about one-third of total length); its length about one-half of head length; ends of rays in first part reaching second part when depressed, longest ray fitting three times into head length. No spinous rays present. See literature references and illustration.

Anal fin - Anal fin base long; fin divided into 2 separate parts (appearing as separate fins), with about 21 and 17 rays respectively. First part with short base (less than one-half of preanal length), beginning below front of second part of dorsal fin. No spinous rays. See literature references and illustration.

Pectoral fins - Pectoral fins ½ length of head, reaching to below end of first dorsal, but falling far short of anal fin origin; longest ray fitting approximately 2½ times in head length No spinous fin rays present. See literature references and illustration.

Pelvic fins - Pelvic fins thoracic, inserted slightly ahead of base of pectoral fins (distance approximately equal to diameter of eye), of about 7 rays; one ray slightly elongated. No spinous rays. See literature references and illustration.

Caudal fin - Caudal fin distinct, separate from dorsal and anal fins, externally symmetrical, and square-cut, subtruncate, or slightly indented. See literature references and illustration.

Lateral line - Lateral line present on side of body, pale, prominent, continuous at least to mid-length of third pard of dorsal fin, interrepted posteriorly to end of caudal peduncle. Lateral line pores present on head. See literature references and illustration.

Scalation - Scales small, cycloid, rounded, and overlapping; not at angles to each other. See literature references.

Swimbladder - Swimbladder small, well developed, not attached to rear of skull; anterior part of swimbladder with 2 relatively short, horn-like extensions. See literature references.

Anal opening - Vent submedian, below second part of dorsal fin. See literature references.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION: [In preparation.]
FISHERIES AND SEASONAL ABUNDANCE: [In preparation.]
FISHING METHODS: [In preparation.]
MARKETED PRODUCT FORMS: [In preparation.]
NOTES: [In preparation.]
LITERATURE: [In preparation.]