# Merlangius (*Merlangius merlangus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/merlangius  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

Merlangius (Merlangius merlangus) is a bony fish in the family Gadidae, order Gadiformes. Other English names for it include Whiting, Spelding, Golden Cutlet, English whiting and European whiting. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | Not recorded |
| Length | up to 70 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Young per litter or clutch | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Atlantic herring (*Clupea harengus*), European sprat (*Sprattus sprattus*), Atlantic mackerel (*Scomber scombrus*), Norway pout (*Trisopterus esmarkii*), Cepelan (*Trisopterus minutus*), Dragonet (*Callionymus lyra*), Atlantic horse mackerel (*Trachurus trachurus*), Putassu (*Micromesistius poutassou*), Dab (*Limanda limanda*), European anchovy (*Engraulis encrasicolus*), Sea mouse (*Aphrodita aculeata*), Hermit crab (*Pagurus bernhardus*). Recorded predators: Atlantic cod (*Gadus morhua*), Thornback ray (*Raja clavata*), Monk (*Lophius piscatorius*), Hake (*Merluccius merluccius*), Spiny dogfish (*Squalus acanthias*), Grey gurnard (*Eutrigla gurnardus*), John dory (*Zeus faber*), Homelyn ray (*Raja montagui*), Turbot (*Scophthalmus maximus*), Saithe (*Pollachius virens*), Atlantic horse mackerel (*Trachurus trachurus*), Kite (*Scophthalmus rhombus*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Teleostei
- order: Gadiformes
- family: Gadidae
- genus: Merlangius
- species: *Merlangius merlangus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Gadus euxinus*, *Gadus merlangus*, *Gadus merlangus euxinus*, *Gadus merlangus merlangus*, *Merlangius merlangius*, *Merlangius merlangus euxinus*, *Merlangius merlangus merlangus*, *Merlangus linnei*, *Merlangus merlangus*, *Merlangus merlangus euxinus*, *Merlangus vulgaris*, *Odontogadus merlangus*, *Odontogadus merlangus euxinus*, *Odontogadus merlangus merlangus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is Merlangius?

Merlangius is a bony fish in the family Gadidae, part of the order Gadiformes.

### What is the scientific name of Merlangius?

Its scientific name is Merlangius merlangus, placed in the genus Merlangius.

### Is Merlangius endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not a threatened category.

### Who named Merlangius merlangus and when?

The species authority is written as (Linnaeus, 1758).

### What are other names for Merlangius?

It is also called Whiting, Spelding, Golden Cutlet, English whiting and European whiting.

### What class does Merlangius belong to?

It belongs to the class Teleostei in the phylum Chordata.

### What eats the merlangius?

Animals recorded preying on the merlangius include atlantic cod, thornback ray, monk and hake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

### Which animals does the merlangius eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the merlangius include atlantic herring, european sprat, atlantic mackerel and norway pout. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Merlangius (Merlangius merlangus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/merlangius