''Arctogadus glacialis'', known also with ambiguous common names Arctic cod and polar cod, is an

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

species of fish in the cod family Gadidae, related to the true

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not calle ...

(genus ''Gadus''). ''Arctogadus glacialis'' is found in icy water. They grow to about 30 cm long, and are favorite food of

narwhals The narwhal, also known as a narwhale (''Monodon monoceros''), is a medium-sized toothed whale that possesses a large "tusk" from a protruding canine tooth. It lives year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland, Canada and Russia. It is ...

and other arctic whales.

Common names and taxonomy

The common names "Arctic cod" and "polar cod" can refer to either ''Arctogadus glacialis'' or '' Boreogadus saida'', and "Arctic cod" may also refer to '' Eleginus nawaga''. Another Arctic gadid, the East Siberian cod (''Arctogadus borisovi''), was until recently considered the closest relative of ''A. glacialis''. It has, however, been found not to be distinct from ''A. glacialis'', and should be included in this species. According to this result, ''Arctogadus'' is a monotypic genus. However, ''Arctogadus'' is a close relative of '' Boreogadus'', and should perhaps be included in that genus.

Appearance

Arctic cod have been cited to grow up to in

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. It has been distinguished from other cod species by its lack of the chin

barbel Barbel may refer to: *Barbel (anatomy), a whisker-like organ near the mouth found in some fish (notably catfish, loaches and cyprinids) and turtles *Barbel (fish), a common name for certain species of fish **'' Barbus barbus'', a species of cyprini ...

. Populations of Arctic cod previously referred to the East Siberian cod however do have a chin barbel and grow up to 50–60 cm length.Toothed cod, ''Arctogadus borisovi''
Canada's Polar Life Portal, University of Guelph (2002)

Distribution

The Arctic cod is widely distributed in the western part of the

Arctic basin The Arctic Basin (also North Polar Basin) is an oceanic basin in the Arctic Ocean, consisting of two main parts separated by the Lomonosov Ridge, a mid-ocean ridge between north Greenland and the New Siberian Islands. It is bordered by the contin ...

and the northwest and northeast coasts of Greenland. Its range is between 85° and 72°N

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pole ...

. Arctic cod can be found at depths of up to 1000 m, and frequently under ice. Fish earlier attributed to the East Siberian cod are found off the western half of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source o ...

coast and the coasts of Siberia and also off the northern and southern coasts of Greenland. The fish lives close to the sea floor at depths of 15 to 40 m, but it sometimes enters estuaries, and may also be found under pack ice. The species is of minor commercial value.

Diet

''A. glacialis'' in an ice-free area off northeastern Greenland were found to feed almost exclusively on pelagic prey (primarily

copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (living on the ocean floor), a number of species have p ...

amphipod Amphipoda is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 9,900 amphipod species so far descri ...

s, and mysids).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arctic Cod Gadidae Monotypic marine fish genera Monotypic ray-finned fish genera Fish of the Arctic Ocean Fish of the Atlantic Ocean Fish of Europe