"Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes". ^ a b c d e Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds.The flesh is used for food and the skin to make leather. Fisheries Īnarhichadidae wolffishes, in particular two Atlantic species, the spotted wolffish and the Atlantic wolffish, are targeted by commercial fisheries. The male wolffish will guard the eggs 3–9 months until they hatch. Biology Īnarhichadidae wolffishes use their large teeth to feed on a diet of shelled invertebrates such as crabs, starfishes and sea urchins, as well as other prey, The peak mating season for wolffish is September to October. They are demersal fishes occurring in shallow to moderately deep and cold seas. Distribution and habitat Īnarhichadidae wolfishes prefer cooler waters and are found in the northern parts of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans as well as in the Arctic Ocean. The longest published total length is for Anarrhichthys ocellatus and is 240 cm (94 in). The counts of vertebrae are 72–89 in Anarhichas and 221–251 in Anarrhichthys. The gill membranes are joined to the isthmus and the gill openings are set widely apart. There are robust conical teeth in the front of the jaws and large molar like teeth to the rear of those. There are 1 or 2 lateral lines made up of superficial neuromasts. movement sensitive sensory canals on the head and as the fish ages the pores grow vey large. The scales, if present, are cycloid, tiny and do not overlap. The caudal fin is separate from the other median fins in Anarhichas but they are all three joined in Anarrhichthys. The anal fin may have a single spine in Anarrhichthys, and again there is a large number of soft rays. The long dorsal fin starts at the head and has many flexible spines and soft rays. Anarrhichthys has an extremely elongate body and this has given rise to its common name of wolf-eel. Wolf eel, Anarrhichthys ocellatus Ayres, 1855.Īnarhichadidae wolfishes have a largely compressed and, in the genus Anarhichas, a moderately elongate body.Bering wolffish, Anarhichas orientalis Pallas, 1814.Spotted wolffish, Anarhichas minor Olafsen, 1772.Atlantic wolffish or sea wolf, Anarhichas lupus Linnaeus, 1758.Northern wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatus Krøyer, 1845.Genera and species Īnarhichadidae contains two genera and five species: Image This may be an allusion to the ancient belief that wolffishes left the water and climbed up on the rocks. lupus) and means "the climber", in turn derived from the Greek genital which means "to climb or scramble up". Etymology Īnarhichadidae is derived from the name of its type genus Anarhichas which is an Ancient Greek name for the Atlantic wolffish ( A. Other authorities classify this family in the infraorder Zoarcales wihin the suborder Cottoidei of the Perciformes because removing the Scorpaeniformes from the Perciformes renders that taxon non monophyletic. The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family within the suborder Zoarcoidei, within the order Scorpaeniformes. These are predatory, eel shaped fishes which are native to the cold waters of the Arctic, North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans.Īnarhichadidae was first proposed as a family in 1832 by the French zoologist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. Northern wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatusĪnarhichadidae, the wolffishes, sea wolves or wolf eels, is a family of marine ray finned fishes belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. For freshwater wolf fish, see Erythrinidae. This article is about the family of saltwater fish.
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