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Patagonotothen tessellata, the black southern cod, is a benthopelagic species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes, native to the southeast Pacific and southwest Atlantic oceans, in Chilean and Argentine Patagonia. This species is one of the most abundant nototheniids in southern Chilean Patagonia.

Taxonomy
This species was first described by Scottish naturalist John Richardson in 1845 from two specimens taken from Falkland Islands waters during the Ross expedition in The zoology of the voyage of the H.M.S. Erebus & Terror, though he originally named the species Notothenia tessellata.

Description
This species has a typical perciform, laterally compressed body. The height is 5.1 to 6.3 times shorter than the standard length and 1.5 to 2.0 times shorter than head length. The scales are weakly ctenoid, covering the entire body including the dorsal surface of the head and the entire operculum except the snout and preorbital region. This species has two lateral lines, the upper one with 43 to 47 tubular scales, running parallel to the dorsal profile and ending slightly behind the vertical passing through the posterior origin of the second dorsal fin. The lower lateral line is shorter, having 9 to 14 scales. The head is somewhat depressed, especially in males. The eyes are small, with their diameter 1.1 to 1.7 times greater than the interorbital space, and are 4.3 to 5.3 times shorter than head length. The nostrils are tube-shaped. The mouth is oblique, with thick lips. The lower jaw is quite prominent. The maxilla reaches the vertical that passes through the anterior third of the eye. The teeth are arranged in two irregular rows. The gill openings are wide. The first gill arch has 21 to 24 gill rakers. Pseudobranchia are present. There are two dorsal fins, with a total of 5 dorsal spines and 32 soft rays. The anal fin, with 30-33 rays, is shorter than the second dorsal fin, with the last rays reaching the lower origin of the caudal fin. The pectoral fins, with 23 or 24 rays, are larger than the pelvic fins. The pelvic fins each have a spine and five soft rays.

This species has a generally brownish marbled coloration, with irregular broad dark blotches on the body. The first dorsal fin has a dark spot covering the greater part of it, and is variegated with small but clearly visible dark spots, as is the subtruncate caudal fin. The lower part of the flanks and anal and ventral areas are yellowish. The origin of the caudal fin is white.

The maximum length and weight recorded for this species is 28.0 cm (11.0 in) and 311.0 g (0.69 lb) respectively.

Biology and ecology
A benthopelagic species, this species is widely distributed across fjords and channel systems in southern Patagonia, generally favoring shallow subtidal areas of depth 15m (49 ft) or less, though generally not associated with kelp forests.