Anarhichas lupus

• Overview
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Special Concern

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Anarhichadidae

Distribution: North Atlantic and North Pacific. Body mostly compressed and moderately elongate except one species Anarrhichthys ocellatus, is extremely elongate and for its shape goes by the common name wolf-eel. Dorsal fin long, starting at the head , and composed of 69-88 flexible spines in Anarhichas and 218-250 in Anarrhichthys. Anal fin with 42-55 soft rays in Anarhichas and 0-1 spine and 180-233 soft rays in Anarrhichthys. Caudal fin separated from dorsal and anal fins by a short peduncle in Anarhichas, median fins confluent and tapering to a point in Anarrhichthys. Pectoral fins large and rounded , with 18-24 rays. Pelvic fins absent. One pair of nostrils. Scales cycloid, minute and non-overlapping, or absent. Mechanosensory canals of head well developed, pores with age becoming overgrown: nasal 2, occipital 3-5, interorbital 1-2, postorbital 4-5, suborbital 7-9, preopercular 4, mandibular 3-4. One or two trunk lateral lines of superficial neuromasts , difficult to discern in preserved material . Most species have strong canines and molars for digging out and crushing clams and other hard-shelled prey . Gill membranes attached to the isthmus, gill openings widely separated. Branchiostegal rays 6-8. Swim bladder absent. Vertebrae 72-89 to 251. Primarily demersal , inhabiting shallow to moderately deep cold waters . Maximum length about 2. 5 m. Also Ref. 7463.The family Anarhichadidae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes ) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 2 genera and 5 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are guarders . The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be sluggish. Etymology of this family name : Greek, anarrhichesis, to climb, the action of climbing

Habitat

Inhabit rocky bottoms , sometimes over sand or mud , from 1-500 m. May be found at depths of 1 to 500 meters. Usually found at depths of 18 to 110 meters.

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -5,082 meters (0 to -16,673 feet).[1]

Biome: Saltwater . Demersal .

Biology

Diet

Feeds on hard-shelled mollusks, crabs, lobsters, sea urchins and other echinoderms .

Behavior

Solitary in habit[2].

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Anarhichas lupus marisalbi Barsukov, 1956
2. Anarhichas strigosus Gmelin, 1789
3. Anarhichas vomerinus Agassiz, 1867

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Family : Wolffishes .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Anarhichas

There are approximately 13 species in this genus:

A. denticulatis · A. denticulatus (Northern Wobbegong) · A. latifirons · A. latifrons · A. lepterus · A. lepturus · A. lupus (Atlantic Tripletail) · A. lupus marisalbi · A. minor (Spotted Sea Catfish) · A. ocellatus · A. orientalis (Bering Wolffish) · A. scansor · A. strigosus

More Info

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Further Reading

• Catalogue of the fishes of New York. By Tarleton H. Bean Albany, University of the state of New York, 1903. ENG url p. 673.
• A biological survey of the waters of Woods Hole and vicinity / By Francis B. Sumner, Raymond C. Osburn, and Leon J. Cole. Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1913 ENG url p. 164, p. 768, p. 836.
• A guide book to the marine fishes of Rhode Island. Photos by the author. Watch Hill, R. I., Book and Tackle Shop[1960] ENG url p. 100.
• A history of British fishes. By William Yarrell London, J. Van Voorst, 1841. ENG url p. 208.
• A history of the fishes of the British islands / by Jonathan Couch. London: Groombridge, 1868-1869. ENG url p. 242.
• A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Report presented at the eighty-ninth annual meeting, Clearwater, Fla., Sept. 16-18, 1959. Ann Arbor, Mich., 1960. ENG url p. 43.
• Anderson, M.E. (1994). Systematics and osteology of the Zoarcidae (Teleostei: Perciformes). Ichthyol. Bull. J.L.B. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. 60:120 p.
• Anglo-russkii biologicheskii slovar' / [avtory, I. N. Afanas'eva et al.; spetsial'nye nauch. redaktory, O. I. Chibisova i L. A. Koziar]. Moskva: Russkii iazyk, 1979. ENG url p. 115, p. 117, p. 710.
• Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien. Wien, Naturhistorisches Museum [etc.] GER url p. 305, p. 85.
• Annual report of the Commissioner of Fisheries to the Secretary of Commerce for the fiscal year ended Washington: G.P.O., 1914- ENG url p. 122, p. 228, p. 328, p. 346, p. 472, p. 553.
• Annual report of the Commissioners of Inland Fisheries made to the General Assembly. Providence, The Commissioners. ENG url p. 152, p. 173, p. 39, p. 96.
• Archiv f�r Naturgeschichte. Berlin: Nicolai, 1835- GER url p. 228.
• Barsukov, V.V. (1986). Anarhichadidae. p. 1113-1116. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. volume 3. UNESCO, Paris.
• Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder (1953). Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. U.S. Fish. Wildl. Serv. Fish. Bull. 74, 53:1-577.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 2445, p. 2446, p. 2447.
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• Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. Washington, The Commission, Govt. Print. Off. ENG url p. 370, p. 371, p. 5.
• Compendium der Helminthologie. Ein Verzeichniss der bekannten Helminthen, die frei oder in thierischen K�rpern leben, geordnet nach ihren Wohnthieren, unter Angabe der Organe, in denen sie gefunden sind, und mit Beif�gung der Litte von O. von Linstow. Hannover: Hahn'sche Buchhandlung, 1878. GER url p. 229, p. 82.
• Denkschriften der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Wien: Aus der Kaiserlich-K�niglichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, 1850-1918. GER url p. 104.
• Dr. H.G. Bronn's Klassen und Ordnungen des Thier-Reichs: wissenschaftlich dargestellt in Wort und Bild. Leipzig: C.F. Winter, 1880- GER url p. 367.
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• Fishery bulletin / U.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service: ENG url p. 290, p. 294, p. 295, p. 409, p. 420, p. 770.
• Fishery bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, The Service, U.S. Govt Print. Off. ENG url p. 503, p. 505.
• Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, by Henry B. Bigelow and William C. Schroeder. Washington, United States Government Printing Office, 1953. ENG url p. 503, p. 505.
• Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. By Henry B. Bigelow and William W. Welsh Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1925. ENG url p. 370, p. 5, p. 555.
• Fishes of the vicinity of New York City / by John Treadwell Nichols, with an introduction by William K. Gregory. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1918. ENG url p. 116.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (1992). FAO yearbook 1990. Fishery statistics. Catches and landings. FAO Fish. Ser. (38). FAO Stat. Ser. 70:(105):647 p.
• Guide to marine fishes; [a new method for identification of marine fishes. New York]New York University Press[1961] ENG url p. 282, p. 402, p. 423.
• Histoire naturelle des poissons: avec les figures dessin�es d'apr��s nature / par Bloch; ouvrage class� par ordres, genres et esp��ces, d'apr��s le systeme de Linn�; avec les caract��res g�n�riques par Ren�-Richard Castel A Paris: Chez Deterville. .., an 9 [1801]. FRE url p. 164.
• Histoire naturelle, g�n�rale et particuli��re, des poissons; ouvrage faisant suite � l'Histoire naturelle g�n�rale et particuli��re, compos�e par Leclerc de Buffon, et mise dans un nouvel ordre par C.S. Sonnini, avec des notes et des additions. Paris, L'impr. de F. Dufart, an 11-12[1802-1804] FRE url p. 170.
• IGFA (2001). Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
• International Game Fish Association (1991). World record game fishes. International Game Fish Association, Florida, USA.
• Johannessen, T., J. Gjos and aelig;ter and E. Moksness (1993). Reproduction, spawning behaviour and captive breeding of the common wolffish Anarhichas lupus L. Aquaculture 115:41-51.
• Jonsson, G. (1992). Islenskir fiskar. Fiolvi, Reykjavik, 568 pp.
• Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society. Oxford [etc.]Royal Microscopical Society. ENG url p. 208.
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Notes

Contributors

• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 17, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 30 providers.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 17, 2007:

• Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, Fish Collection
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Bay of Fundy Species List
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Canadian Museum of Nature - Fish Collection
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, ECNASAP - East Coast North America Strategic Assessment
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Electronic Atlas of Ichthyoplankton on the Scotian Shelf of North America
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Gulf of Maine Bottom Trawl Survey Data
• (USOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History - Marine Birds, Mammals, and Fishes
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, MCZ Fish Collection
• Royal Ontario Museum, Fish specimens
• Senckenberg, Collection Pisces
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Fishes
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Swedish Board of Fisheries
• - Institute of Coastal Research

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2486884
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-29625
• Fishbase Species ID: 2501
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13535536
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 171341
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AFCSD01020
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 102000

Footnotes

1. Mean = -311.090 meters (-1,020.636 feet), Standard Deviation = 398.850 based on 10,641 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
2. Frimodt, C. (1995). Multilingual illustrated guide to the world's commercial coldwater fish. Fishing News Books, Osney Mead, Oxford, England. 215 p. [back]

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