Argentine hake
| Argentine hake | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gadiformes |
| Family: | Merlucciidae |
| Genus: | Merluccius |
| Species: | M. hubbsi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Merluccius hubbsi | |
The Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is a species of merluccid hake found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, specifically along the coast of Argentina and Uruguay. Like many of its congeners, it is of commercial importance.
Taxonomy
The Argentine hake was described by the Argentine ichthyologist Tomás Marini in 1933, with the specific epithet honoring the American ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs, who supplied the type material to Marini.[3]
A new species of hake, Merluccius patagonicus, was described in 2003; this was the third hake species found in the southwest Atlantic, in addition to the Argentine hake and the southern hake (Merluccius australis). Some authorities consider this taxon to be synonymous with M. hubbsi.[4]
Description
The Argentine hake is very similar to the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), and it can reach up to 95 cm in length (though a length of 50-65 cm is more common) and weigh up to 5 kg.
Biology
The Argentine hake lives at depths of 100-200 m, feeding on crustaceans, squids and smaller fish (anchovies and smaller hakes). It migrates southwards in spring and northwards in autumn.[1] Females grow faster and live longer than males.[5]
Relationship with humans
The Argentine hake is commercially important, and is usually sold fresh; however, it can also be sold frozen. It is one of the main fishing exports of Argentina.
References
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Merluccius hubbsi". FishBase. February 2018 version.
- ^ "Fisheries and Aquaculture - Global Production". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ "Family MERLUCCIIDAE Rafinesque 1815 (Merlucciid Hakes) | The ETYFish Project". Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ Díaz de Astarloa JM; Bezzi SI; González Castro M; et al. (2011). "Morphological, morphometric, meristic and osteological evidence for two species of hake (Actinopterygii: Gadiformes: Merluccius) in Argentinean waters". Journal of Fish Biology. 78 (5): 1336–1358. Bibcode:2011JFBio..78.1336D. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2011.02937.x. PMID 21539546. Abstract
- ^ Costa, Paulo Alberto Silva da, Adriana da Costa Braga, Juliana Monteiro da Silva Vieira, Raquel Rennó M. Martins, Ricardo Raphael Bastos de São-Clemente, and Bernardo Roxo Couto. 2018. “Age Estimation, Growth and Maturity of the Argentine Hake (Merluccius Hubbsi Marini, 1933) along the Northernmost Limit of Its Distribution in the South-Western Atlantic.” Marine Biology Research 14 (7): 728–38. doi:10.1080/17451000.2018.1502885.