Anarhichadidae

For freshwater wolf fish, see Erythrinidae.

Wolffish
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Northern wolffish, Anarhichas denticulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Anarhichadidae Bonaparte, 1832
Genera
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

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