Maori chief
- The related Paranotothenia magellanica (Maori cod, Magellanic rockcod) is sometimes called "Maori chief" too.
| Maori chief | |
|---|---|
.gif) | |
| Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling | |
| Conservation status | |
| Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Nototheniidae |
| Genus: | Notothenia |
| Species: | N. angustata |
| Binomial name | |
| Notothenia angustata F. W. Hutton, 1875 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Notothenia angustata, the Maori chief, is a species of cod icefish native to the southern ocean between New Zealand and Chile south to the Antarctic, at depths down to 100 metres (330 ft). The juveniles are often found in tide pools.[1]
The Maori chief is a large (up to 41 centimetres (16 in) TL[1]) bottom-living fish not too dissimilar to the Maori cod. It has a large mouth, a prominent bony ridge above each eye, a rounded caudal fin, and two lateral lines which overlap slightly. The first dorsal fin is small with only six spines.[2]
The Maori chief is dark grey or green above, mottled with blue-black, and is yellow on the belly. There are numerous small grey spots and streaks on the head suggesting the complex tattoos once worn by Māori chiefs, and the fins are grey with some darker mottling.[2]
It eats a variety of invertebrates and small fishes.[1]