Category: Fish
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Moridae

Other Names:
Fish, Pink Cod

Notes
Often found by scientists in the stomach contents of other fish. It is thought they are an important part of the food chain. The snout is blunt with a dorsal head profile which is smoothly rounded. The chin barbel is absent. The first dorsal fin appears as a single, elongate ray, widely separated from the second dorsal fin. The color is generally pale pink-tan with spots or silvery with a spot on side of the head and a yellow lateral stripe. They reach around 130 mm in length and are found over sandy and muddy bottoms in inshore waters to depths of 420 m. Possibly an important forage fish for commercial species.
Frequently seen in small schools around Otago.

References
A Treasury of New Zealand Fishes: Graham http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=2007# (accessed 13/12/10)