Bony fish · Gadiformes · Gadidae
Whiting
Merlangius merlangus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The whiting — known in Spanish as merlán or plegonero — is the species Merlangius merlangus, the only one in the genus Merlangius; it is a fish of the family Gadidae, common off the coasts of almost the whole of Europe and the Mediterranean.
Weight
1.7 kg on average
Size
up to 91.5 cm
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Social structure
School
Gathers in coordinated schools, typical of fish.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- The juveniles shelter beneath the bells of large jellyfish, which protect them from predators.
- It has a characteristic dark spot at the base of each pectoral fin.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)
- Habitat & environment
- Bottoms of the north-east Atlantic, the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Adriatic, between 10 and 200 m and normally between 30 and 100 m
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlangius_merlangus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 20 de 55 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Whiting — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Pouting
Trisopterus luscus
Haddock
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
Pollack
Pollachius pollachius
Blue Whiting
Micromesistius poutassou
VulnerableCod
Gadus morhua
European Anchovy
Engraulis encrasicolus
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about whiting.
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