Gadidae
The Gadidae are a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes, known as the cods, codfishes, or true cods. It contains several commercially important fishes, including the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock.
Most gadid species are found in temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere, but several range into subtropical, subarctic, and Arctic oceans, and a single is found in the Southern Hemisphere. They are generally medium-sized fish, and are distinguished by the presence of three dorsal fins on the back and two anal fins on the underside. Most species have barbels on their chins, which they use while browsing on the sea floor. Gadids are carnivorous, feeding on smaller fish and crustaceans.
Gadids are highly prolific, producing several million eggs at each spawning. This contributes to their high population numbers, which, in turn, makes commercial fishing relatively easy.
Taxonomy
In the past, the contents of this family varied depending on the taxonomic authority. For example, fishes in the current Lotidae and Phycidae were included in the Gadidae, as its subfamilies Lotinae and Phycinae. However, they are presently considered distinct families from one another, based on phylogenetic analyses.The following genera are placed in the Gadidae:
- Arctogadus Dryagin, 1932
- Boreogadus Günther, 1862
- Eleginus Fischer, 1813
- Gadiculus Guichenot, 1850
- Gadus Linnaeus, 1758
- Melanogrammus Gill, 1862
- Merlangius Garsault, 1764
- Microgadus Gill, 1865
- Micromesistius Gill, 1863
- Pollachius Nilsson, 1832
- Trisopterus Rafinesque, 1814