Dainty mora

Halargyreus johnsonii

Fish
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth708–1,159 m
Water temperature-2–22 °C
Best monthsSeptember
How commonCommon

About this species

The slender codling or slender cod is a morid cod, the only species in the genus Halargyreus. It is found in all oceans, at depths from 450 to 3,000 m, and grows to 56 cm (22 in) in total length. First discovered by and named after James Yate Johnson.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Slender codling”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 18 records
February: 24 records
March: 46 records
April: 25 records
May: 73 records
June: 53 records
July: 82 records
August: 153 records
September: 433 records
October: 178 records
November: 50 records
December: 40 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 708–1,159 m · Deepest record: 3,050 m

0–10 m: 26 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 0 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 2 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 0 records
80–90 m: 0 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 2 records
110+ m: 9,283 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -2–22 °C

-2–0 °C: 2 records
0–2 °C: 0 records
2–4 °C: 0 records
4–6 °C: 9 records
6–8 °C: 4 records
8–10 °C: 11 records
10–12 °C: 137 records
12–14 °C: 213 records
14–16 °C: 368 records
16–18 °C: 132 records
18–20 °C: 11 records
20–22 °C: 9 records
22–24 °C: 3 records

Names and classification

English: Dainty mora, Slender codling, dainty mora, slender codling

Names in 2 more languages

French: more délicat, Moro svelte
Japanese: Karasudara, カラスダラ

Other scientific names: Halargyreus affinis, Halargyreus brevipes, Halargyreus johnsoni

Similar species

Blackcod
Antimora rostrata
ahuru
Auchenoceros punctatus
Finescale mora
Antimora microlepis
Japanese codling
Physiculus japonicus
Beardie
Eeyorius hutchinsi
Gadella brocca

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
10,209 open-data records from 1886 to 2022.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

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