Pacific tomcod
Microgadus proximus (Girard, 1854)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Microgadus proximus, also commonly known as Pacific tomcod, is a type of cod fish found in North American coastal waters from the southeastern Bering Sea to central California. This species can reach a length of 30.5 cm (12.0 in).
The diet of the Pacific tomcod includes anchovies, shrimp, worms, and other small marine invertebrates.
Pacific tomcod are occasionally taken by recreational anglers. This is usually incidental to fishing for other species of fish, as they are relatively small in size.
Wikipedia contributors, Microgadus proximus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:14:52.119539+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microgadus proximus (Girard, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Girard, 1854)
- Common name
- Pacific tomcod
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gadiformes
- Family
- Gadidae
- Genus
- Microgadus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderGadiformes
- familyGadidae Rafinesque, 1810
- genusMicrogadus Gill, 1865
- speciesMicrogadus proximus (Girard, 1854)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microgadus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic tomcodMicrogadus tomcod (Walbaum, 1792) | GadidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Morrhua californica Ayres, 1854 Ayres, 1854 | synonym |
| Morrhua proxima (Girard, 1854) (Girard, 1854) | synonym |
| Gadus californicus (Ayres, 1854) (Ayres, 1854) | synonym |
| Gadus proximus Girard, 1854 Girard, 1854 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275873 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:42WJ2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.