| Sculpin Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Suborder: | Cottoidei |
| Superfamily: | Cottoidea Gill, 18891 |
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.34
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
Families include:5
- 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 Agonidae Swainson, 1839 (poachers)
- Subfamily Agoninae Swainson, 1839 (sturgeon poachers)
- Subfamily Anoplagoninae Gill, 1861 (alligator fishes)
- Subfamily Bathyagoninae Lindberg, 1971 (starsnouts)
- Subfamily Brachyopsinae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 (uppermouth poachers)
- Subfamily Hypsagoninae Gill, 1861 (dragon poachers)
- Subfamily Bothragoninae Lindberg, 1971 (rockheads)
- Subfamily Hemitripterinae Gill, 1865 (sailfin sculpins)
Gallery
References
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.
- 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.