Largeye Lepidion

The North Atlantic codling (Lepidion eques) is a species of fish in the family Moridae.^[3]

Name

The specific name eques means "knight", referring to the plume-like protuberance on its head; this is also reflected in the Icelandic name bláriddari and Danish name blå ridder, both meaning "blue knight."^[4]

Description

Illustration of fish from the Danish Ingolf-Expedition, 1899. The North Atlantic codling is at bottom right.

The North Atlantic codling is pink-brown in colour with a blue tinge; albinos are common.^[5] It is up to 44 cm (1.44 ft) in length.^[6] Its posterior nostril is immediately anterior to the eye. There are 55–60 dorsal finrays and 50–54 anal finrays. It has a lateral line with pit organs but no pores, and 8–13 pyloric caeca.^[7]

Habitat

The North Atlantic codling lives in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is benthopelagic, living at depths of 120–1,900 m (390–6,230 ft).^{[8][9][10][11]}

Behaviour

The North Atlantic codling feeds on crustaceans and polychaetes.^[12] It usually swims close to sandy bottoms and exhibits station holding behavior.^[13][14]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lepidion eques.