Anarhichadidae

Wolffish
Northern wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Anarhichadidae Bonaparte, 1832
Genera[1]
Anarhichas Anarrhichthys See text for species.

The wolffish, also known as sea wolves, are a family, Anarhichadidae, of perciform fish. They are native to cold waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, where they live on the continental shelf and slope, to depths of about 600 m (2,000 ft). They are bottom-feeders, eating hard-shelled invertebrates such as clams, echinoderms, and crustaceans, which they crush with their strong canine and molar teeth. The longest species, Anarrhichthys ocellatus, grows to more than 2 m (6.6 ft) in length.

Species

The five species in two genera are:

• Genus Anarhichas
  • Northern wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatus Krøyer, 1845.
  • Atlantic wolffish or sea wolf, Anarhichas lupus Linnaeus, 1758.
  • Spotted wolffish, Anarhichas minor Olafsen, 1772.
  • Bering wolffish, Anarhichas orientalis Pallas, 1814.
• Genus Anarrhichthys
  • Wolf eel, Anarrhichthys ocellatus Ayres, 1855.

Timeline of genera

References

1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013). "Anarhichadidae" in FishBase. February 2013 version.

• "Anarhichadidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 December 2004.
• Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. Retrieved 2011-05-18.