Southern blue whiting

Open encyclopedia reference

The southern blue whiting (Micromesistius australis) is a codfish of the genus Micromesistius, found in the southern oceans with temperatures between 3 and 7 °C, at depths of 50 to 900 m. Its length is commonly between 30 and 60 cm, with a maximum length of 90 cm. Maximum weight is at least 1350 g. A related species, the blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou, occurs in the Northern Hemisphere. In Canada, according to Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations and the list of acceptable fish species names, "Micromesistius australis" (or southern blue whiting) can also be referred to as blue cod. This well-known species is part of the family Gadidae and is a very versatile fish. It is most commonly filleted and served breaded or battered, but it is also well-suited to pan frying, oven baking and steaming. It has flaky white fillets and mild flavor with broad appeal to children and adults alike. The two disjunct populations are: M. a.

Wikipedia contributors, Southern blue whiting; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:38:12.705503+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Micromesistius australis Norman, 1937

Name authority

Norman, 1937

Common name

Southern blue whiting

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Teleostei

Order

Gadiformes

Family

Gadidae

Genus

Micromesistius

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. gigaclassActinopterygii
8. superclassActinopteri
9. classTeleostei
10. orderGadiformes
11. familyGadidae Rafinesque, 1810
12. genusMicromesistius Gill, 1863
13. speciesMicromesistius australis Norman, 1937

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Micromesistius. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 20 records assigned to Gadidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. Norman, J. R. (1937). Coast fishes. Part II. The Patagonian region. Discovery Reports, 16: 1–150, Pls. 1–5. 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.

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:42Z4S. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.