Biodiversity & Conservation

Poor cod - Trisopterus minutus

Trisopterus minutus

Image Paul Newland - A close up view of multiple Trisopterus minutus. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Trisopterus minutus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Trisopterus minutus is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Authority (Linnaeus, 1758)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Very common to locally abundant around all coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Occurs mostly from 15 to 200 m in the Atlantic on sandy or muddy bottoms. Small poor cod are often seen in and around wrecks, or in large cracks or crevices in rocky areas. Larger fish occur down to 300 m.
Text page icon Description A slender fish with a relatively small head and a barbel under the chin. The colour pattern is a yellowish-brown to bronze red on top, with a coppery colour on the flanks. The underside is paler. Poor cod grow to a maximum length of 26 cm. Trisopterus minutus feeds on invertebrates such as decapod crustaceans and smaller fish.
Identifying features
  • The upper jaw of the mouth is forward of the lower jaw.
  • Three dorsal fins, the first of which is triangular and the tallest.
  • Two anal fins, the first longer than the second.
  • A dark spot on the pectoral fin base, not larger than the pupil.
Additional information icon Additional information Poor cod closely resemble bib Trisopterus luscus but lack the dark vertical bars usually visible on bib. Poor cod breed in spring in deep water. The poor cod is caught mainly in trawls. Valuable as an commercial fish because of its abundance, which also makes it an important food for some other, more directly valuable fishes, such as the cod, whiting, hake and turbot. It is used in the production of fish meal, and is eaten by humans in southern Europe.

This review can be cited as follows:

Ana Ruiz 2008. Trisopterus minutus. Poor cod. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4507>