The northern bastard codling, Pseudophycis breviuscula, is a morid cod of the genus Pseudophycis

Pseudophycis

Pseudophycis are codlings of the family Moridae found in New Zealand, Australia, and Tasmania.-Species:* Pseudophycis bachus or red codling* Pseudophycis barbata or southern bastard codling...

, found around southern Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 including Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, from the surface to 220 m. Its length is between 15 and 25 cm.

The northern bastard codling is similar in general appearance to the rattail

Rattail

Grenadiers or rattails are generally large, brown to black gadiform marine fish of the family Macrouridae...

s, with large eyes and an elongate tapering body, however the northern bastard codling has a separate, very rounded, caudal fin. The second dorsal fin

Dorsal fin

A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...

 and the anal fin start about half way along the body length.

Body colour is brown-pink with dark edges to the dorsal, caudal and anal fins.