A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.[2] As of 2025, this superfamily contains 5 families, 112 genera, and 405 species.[3][4]
Sculpins occur in many types of habitat, including ocean and freshwater zones. They live in rivers, submarine canyons, kelp forests, and shallow littoral habitat types, such as tidepools.[2]
Families and subfamilies
- Family Rhamphocottidae Jordan & Gilbert, 1883 (horsehead sculpins)
- Family Cottidae Bonaparte, 1831 (sculpins)
- Family Psychrolutidae Günther, 1861 (marine sculpins)
- Family Jordaniidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (longfin sculpins)
- Family Nautichthyidae Taranetz, 1941 (sailfin sculpins)
- Family Hemilepidotidae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (Irish lords)
- Family Hemitripteridae Gill, 1865 (sea ravens)
- Family Agonidae Swainson, 1839 (Poachers and sea ravens)
- Subfamily Hypsagoninae Gill, 1861 (dragon poachers)
- Subfamily Agoninae Swainson, 1839 (hooknose poachers)
- Subfamily Anoplagoninae Gill, 1861 (alligator fishes)
- Subfamily Podothecinae Gill, 1861 (sturgeon poachers)
- Subfamily Brachyopsinae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (uppermouth poachers)
- Subfamily Agonopsinae Vandenberg et al. 2026 (spearnose poachers)
Gallery
References
- ^ Mamoru Yabe (1985). “Comaprative Osteology and Myology of the Superfamily Cottoidea Pisces:Scorpaeniformes), and its Phylogenetic Classification”. Memoirs off the Faculty of Fishes Hokkaido University. 32 (1): 1–130. S2CID 81835479.
- ^ a b Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012). Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology suggest transitions in station-holding demand across species of marine sculpin. Archived 2020-10-22 at the Wayback Machine Zoology (Jena) 115(4), 223–32.
- ^ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 467–495. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
- ^ “CAS – Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes – Genera/Species by Family/Subfamily”. researcharchive.calacademy.org. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ^ Fricke, R.; Eschmeyer, W. N.; Van der Laan, R. (2025). “ESCHMEYER’S CATALOG OF FISHES: CLASSIFICATION”. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
- ^ Vandenberg, Megan L.; Heiple, Zach; Kolmann, Matthew A.; Buser, Thaddaeus; Summers, Adam P.; Meléndez-Vazquez, Fernando; Arcila, Dahiana; Maslenikov, Katherine P.; Tornabene, Luke (2026-04-01). “Phylogenomics of poachers (Agonidae) and the evolution of armor in cottoid fishes (Perciformes: Cottoidei)”. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 217 108552. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2026.108552. ISSN 1055-7903.