Stocky rockcod

The stocky rockcod (Pagothenia phocae), also known as the bandtail notothen, is a marine ray-finned fish in the Nototheniidae family, native to the Southern Ocean near Antarctica.

First described in 1844 by John Richardson as *Notothenia phocae*, it was later reclassified into the genus *Pagothenia* in 1936. The specific name "phocae" refers to seals, as the holotypes were found in a leopard seal's stomach. Some authorities use the synonym *Pagothenia brachysoma*, but this is considered a junior synonym of *Pagothenia phocae*.

The fish has an oblong body with small conical teeth and rows of teeth on its jaws. It is yellowish brown with blue iridescence, some individuals have coral pink patches near the head, and six dark spots under the dorsal fins. The stocky rockcod reaches a maximum length of 17.2 cm (6.8 inches).

Found in the Southern Ocean, it inhabits areas such as the Ross Sea, Davis Sea, Wilhelm II Coast, north of Edward VIII Ice Shelf, and the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is cryopelagic, feeding on euphausids and copepods under sea ice. Juveniles are found near the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island alongside krill concentrations.