''Lycodes'' is a genus of zoarcid fish in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Lycodinae. It is the most species-rich genus in its

taxonomic family Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order (biology), order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamily, subfamilies, which are intermediate r ...

as well as in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. They occupy both shallow waters and deeper waters down to 3000 meters. A few species can occur in brackish waters.

Taxonomy

''Lycodes'' was first proposed as a

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

in 1831 by the Danish zoologist

Johan Reinhard Johan Reinhard (born December 13, 1943) is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He is also a senior research fellow at The Mountain Institute, a visiting professor at Catholic University, Salta, Argentina, an honorary p ...

when he described ''Lycodes vahlii'', which he described from off Greenland. The genus is classified in the

Lycodinae, one of four subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Four species, ''L. albonotata'', ''L. teraoi'', ''L. toyamensis'' and ''L. toyamesnsis'' are classified within the genus ''

Petroschmidtia ''Petroschmidtia'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The species in this genus are placed in the genus ''Lycodes'' by ''FishBase'' but ''Catalog of Fishes Catalog of Fishes is a comprehensive ...

'' by some authorities.

Etymology

''Lycodes'' means "having the form of a wolf", being a combination of ''lykos'' meaning "wolf" and ''oides'' meaning "similar to". Reinhardt though the teeth were similar to those of '' Anarhichas lupus'' and thought that the two taxa were closely related.

Species

Currently, 64 species are placed in this genus, divided into two subgenera:

Description

The genus is characterized by one autapomorphy: submental crests, the more or less pronounced

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...

extensions on the lower jaws. Within the genus, one

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

has been identified, the "short-tailed" ''Lycodes'' that are associated with shallower depths (0–1200 m) than the long-tailed species (3–3000 m). Short tail might represent an adaptation to shallow, Arctic waters; the clade includes many Arctic

endemics Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

. In contrast, the long-tailed species do not form a

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

group. Coloration of all short-tailed ''Lycodes'' includes some sorts of stripes, marks, or reticulations, while the long-tailed species are uniformly brownish, striped, or spotted.

Ecology

''Lycodes'' are bottom-dwelling fish with a relatively stationary life style. The eggs are benthic, few in number (<2000) and large in size (as large as ).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1879562 Lycodinae Perciformes genera Marine fish genera Taxa named by Johan Reinhardt