''Anarhichas'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

es belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Anarhichadidae Anarhichadidae, the wolffishes, sea wolves or wolf eels, is a family of marine ray finned fishes belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. These are predatory, eel shaped fishes which are native to the cold waters of the Arctic, North Pacific and ...

, the wolffishes or sea wolves. These fishes are found in the northern North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.

Taxonomy

''Anarhichas'' was first proposed as a genus by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of the ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...

'' when he described its

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

''A. lupus'', from the "northern English Ocean". The genus is one of two genera in the family Anarhichadidae, which is classified within the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Scorpaeniformes The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse order of ray-finned fish, including the lionfishes and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of species, with over 1,320. They are ...

in the

suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

Zoarcoidei Zoarcoidei is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. The suborder includes the wolffishes, gunnels and eelpouts. The suborder includes about 400 species. These fishes predominantly found in the boreal se ...

by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World. The genus name ''Anarhichas'' is an

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

name for the Atlantic wolffish (''A. lupus'') and means “the climber,” in turn derived from the Greek ''anarrhichesis'' which means, “to climb or scramble up” , this may be an allusion to the ancient belief that wolffishes left the water and climbed up on the rocks.

Species

''Anarhichas'' has four species classified within it: * ''

Anarhichas denticulatus ''Anarhichas'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Anarhichadidae, the wolffishes or sea wolves. These fishes are found in the northern North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Taxonomy ''Anarhichas'' was first propos ...

'' Krøyer, 1845 (Northern wolffish) * ''

Anarhichas lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758 (Atlantic wolffish) * ''

Anarhichas minor ''Anarhichas minor'', the spotted wolffish, spotted sea cat or leopardfish, is a large marine fish of the family Anarhichadidae. This bottom-dwelling species is found across the North Atlantic and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean from north of ...

'' Ólafsson, 1772 (Spotted wolffish) * ''

Anarhichas orientalis ''Anarhichas orientalis'', the Bering wolffish, is a marine fish in the family Anarhichadidae, the "wolffish". Description The Bering wolffish has an elongate and laterally compressed body, with a thin caudal peduncle. It has a steep snout, and, ...

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pall ...

, 1814 (Bering wolffish)

Characteristics

''Anarhichas'' wolfishes have a largely compressed and moderately elongate bodies. The long

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

starts at the head and has between 69 and 88 spines. The

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

contains between 42 and 55 soft rays. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

is separate from the other median fins. There is a single pair of nostrils. The scales, if present, are cycloid, tiny and do not overlap. There are well developed movement sensitive sensory canals on the head and as the fish ages the pores grow very large. There are 1 or 2

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

s made up of superficial

neuromast The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

s. There are robust conical teeth in the front of the jaws and large molar-like teeth to the rear of those. The longest published

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

is in the Northern wolffish (''A. denticulatus'') and the spotted wolffish (''A. minor'') while the smallest species with a total length of is the Bering wolffish (''A. orientalis'').

Distribution and habitat

''Anarhichas'' wolfishes are found in the northern North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. They are

demersal fish Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They occ ...

es occurring in shallow to moderately deep and cold seas.

Fisheries

''Anarhichas'' wolfishes are caught using bottom

trawl Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch different speci ...

s, longlines and demersal

seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

s. The landings are used for food, processed into fish oil and the skin can be used to make leather. The species targeted are mainly the Atlantic wolffish and the spotted wolffish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2430040 Anarhichadidae Anarhichas Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Marine fish genera