Argentina silus (Ascanius, 1775)

Description


Dorsal soft rays (total): 11 - 13; Anal soft rays: 11 - 17. Scales with tiny spines on exposed parts. Dorsal fin begins above or nearly above tip of pectoral fin (Ref. 7251). Swim bladder elongated and silvery. Body slender to robust (Ref. 37473).

Taxonomic Hierarchy


Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Argentiniformes

Family: Argentinidae

Genus: Argentina

Species: Argentina silus (Ascanius, 1775)

Climate Zone


  • oceanodromous
  • Location


  • Eastern Atlantic: Svalbard to west coasts of Scotland and Ireland, deeper parts of North Sea and across the Wyville Thomson ridge to Denmark Strait. Western Atlantic: Davis Strait to George's Bank in Canada. Arctic Ocean: east to Finnmark, Norway, Barents Sea (Ref. 86838).
  • Biology


    Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Prefer depths of 182.8-255.9 m, temperature 7-10°C and mean salinity 34 ppt (Ref. 5951). Probably form schools close to the bottom. Feeds on planktonic invertebrates including euphausiids, amphipods (arrow worms, krill and Thermisto (Ref. 5951)), chaetognaths, squids and ctenophores, also small fishes. Spawns from April to July (Ref. 4773). Growth is slow. Eggs and young are pelagic at depths of 400-500m. Used fresh or in fish meal production (Ref. 35388).

    Habitat


    bathypelagic