White hake

The white hake or mud hake (Urophycis tenuis) is a phycid hake. It is found in the deeper waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.

White hake
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gadiformes
Family:	Phycidae
Genus:	Urophycis
Species:	U. tenuis
Binomial name
Urophycis tenuis (Mitchill, 1814)
Synonyms
Gadus tenuis Mitchill, 1814 Phycis tenuis (Mitchill, 1814) Phycis furcatus Fleming, 1828 Phycis dekayi Kaup, 1858 Phycis borealis Saemundsson, 1913

Description

The species can grow to be up to 30 cm by the end of the first year, and 400 mm if male and 480 mm if female by the first reproduction. It grows to a maximum length of 1.35 m (4.4 ft).

Distribution and habitat

The white hake is found in the northwest Atlantic from North Carolina to Newfoundland, at depths of about 180–1,000 m (590–3,280 ft).

Reproduction and development

Spawning season for the white hake starts in late winter or early spring. It has been difficult to study the breeding habits of the white hake due to researchers’ issue with finding ripe females. Studies have found that larvae for the species occur in warm Slope Sea waters, but further along in development, the species can be found in continental shelf waters.