Agonidae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of small, bottom-dwelling, cold-water marine

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. Common names for members of this family include poachers, Irish lords, sea ravens, alligatorfishes, starsnouts, hooknoses, and rockheads. They are notable for having elongated bodies covered by scales modified into bony plates, and for using their large

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

s to move in short bursts. The family includes about 59 species in some 25 genera, some of which are quite widespread. The

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

s are nearly vestigial, typically consisting of one small spine and a few rays. The

swim bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ (anatomy), organ in bony fish that functions to modulate buoyancy, and thus allowing the fish to stay at desired water depth without having to maintain lift ...

is not present. At in length, the dragon poacher (''Percis japonica'') is the largest member of the family, while '' Bothragonus occidentalis'' is long as an adult; most are in the 20–30 cm range. Agonidae species generally feed on small

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s and

marine worm Any worm that lives in a ocean, marine environment (biophysical), environment is considered a sea or marine worm. Marine worms are found in several different phylum (biology), phyla, including the Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, Annelida (segmented ...

s found on the bottom. Some species

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

themselves with

hydras ''Hydra'' ( ) is a genus of small freshwater hydrozoans of the phylum Cnidaria. They are solitary, carnivorous jellyfish-like animals, native to the temperate and tropical regions. The genus was named by Linnaeus in 1758 after the Hydra, whi ...

sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...

s, or

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

. They live at deep, with only a few species preferring shallower, coastal waters. All but one species are restricted to the Northern Hemisphere.

Taxonomy

The family Agonidae was first proposed as a family in 1839 by the English

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

William Swainson William Swainson Fellow of the Linnean Society, FLS, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (8 October 1789 – 6 December 1855), was an English ornithologist, Malacology, malacologist, Conchology, conchologist, entomologist and artist. Life Swains ...

. The Agonidae is classified within the superfamily

Cottoidea A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology suggest transitions in station-holding demand acros ...

in the

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

Cottoidei Cottoidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes which, according to the 5th edition of ''Fishes of the World'', is placed within the order Scorpaeniformes, alongside the scorpionfishes, flatheads, eelpouts, sticklebacks and related fishes. Taxon ...

in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Scorpaeniformes The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse Order (biology), order of Actinopterygii, ray-finned fish, including the lionfishes and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of spec ...

in the 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

'' but other authorities states that if Scorpaeniformes is excluded from

Perciformes Perciformes (), also called the Acanthopteri, is an order or superorder of ray-finned fish in the clade Percomorpha. ''Perciformes'' means " perch-like". Among the well-known members of this group are perches and darters ( Percidae), and als ...

then Perciformes is recovered as

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

and so classify this family within the

infraorder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between Family_(biology), family and Class_(biology), class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classific ...

Cottales within the suborder Cottoidei of the Perciformes. A number of taxa which were previously classified within the

Cottidae The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. It is the largest sculpin family, with about 275 species in 70 genera.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life in the flow lane: differences in pectoral fin morphology ...

were reclassified within the Agonidae which meant that the Cottidae was confined to the freshwater sculpins.

Subfamilies and genera

The Agonidae is divided into the following subfamilies and genera: *

Hemilepidontinae ''Hemilepidotus'', the Irish lords, is a genus of ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Agonidae, the poachers and sea ravens. These fishes are found in northern Pacific, northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Species There are currently six r ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

& Evermann, 1898 ** ''

Hemilepidotus ''Hemilepidotus'', the Irish lords, is a genus of ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Agonidae, the poachers and sea ravens. These fishes are found in northern Pacific, northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Species There a ...

Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...

, 1829 *

Hemitripterinae The Hemitripterinae is a subfamily of the scorpaeniform family Agonidae, known as sea ravens or sailfin sculpins. They are bottom-dwelling fish that feed on small invertebrates, found in the northwest Atlantic and north Pacific Oceans. They are ...

Gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

, 1856 ** '' Blepsias'' Cuvier, 1829 ** ''

Hemitripterus ''Hemitripterus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, sculpins, belonging to the subfamily Hemitripterinae which is part of the Family (biology), family Agonidae. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Northwest Atlant ...

'' Cuvier, 1829 ** '' Nautichthys'' Girard, 1858 *

Bothragoninae ''Bothragonus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Agonidae, the poachers and related fishes. It is the only genus in monotypic subfamily Bothragoninae. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ' ...

Lindberg Lindberg is a municipality in the district of Regen in Bavaria in Germany in the immediate neighbourhood of the larger town Zwiesel. Location Lindberg lies in the Danube Forest (''Donau-Wald'') region in the middle of the Bavarian Forest on ...

, 1971 ** ''

Bothragonus ''Bothragonus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Agonidae, the poachers and related fishes. It is the only genus in Monotypic taxon, monotypic subfamily Bothragoninae. These fishes are found in the ...

'' Gill, 1883 *

Hypsagoninae Hypsagoninae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Agonidae, part of the sculpin Superfamily (biology), superfamily Cottoidea. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy Hypsagoninae ...

Gill, 1861 ** ''

Agonomalus ''Agonomalus'' is a genus of Agonidae, poachers native to the Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * ''Agonomalus jordani'' David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & Edwin Chapin Starks, Starks, 1904 * ''Ag ...

'' Guichenot, 1866 ** ''

Hypsagonus ''Hypsagonus'' is a genus of poachers native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * '' Hypsagonus corniger'' Taranetz, 1933 * '' Hypsagonus quadricornis'' (Valenciennes Valencie ...

'' Gill, 1861 ** ''

Percis ''Percis'' is a genus of poachers native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * '' Percis japonica'' (Pallas, 1769) (Dragon poacher) * '' Percis matsuii'' Matsubara is a city locate ...

Scopoli Giovanni Antonio Scopoli (sometimes Latinized as Johannes Antonius Scopolius) (3 June 1723 – 8 May 1788) was an Italian physician and naturalist. His biographer Otto Guglia named him the "first anational European" and the "Linnaeus of the Au ...

, 1777 *

Anoplagoninae Anoplagoninae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Agonidae, part of the sculpin A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012) ...

Gill, 1861 ** '' Anoplagonus'' Gill, 1861 ** ''

Aspidophoroides ''Aspidophoroides'' is a genus of Agonidae, poachers native to the northern Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic oceans. Species There are currently two recognized species in this genus: * ''Aspidophoroides monopterygius'' (Marcus ...

'' Lacépède, 1801 * Brachyopsinae Jordan & Evermann, 1898 ** '' Brachyopsis'' Gill, 1861 ** '' Chesnonia'' Iredale & Whitley, 1969 ** '' Occella'' Jordan & Hubbs, 1925 ** ''

Pallasina ''Pallasina'' is a genus of Agonidae, poachers native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Pallasina'' was formerly monotypic, with only ''P. barbata'' included. The other species had been relegated to synonyms, bu ...

Cramer Cramer may refer to: Businesses * Cramer brothers, 18th century publishers * Cramer Systems, a software company * Cramer & Co., a former musical-related business in London Other uses * Cramer (surname), including a list of people and fictional ...

, 1895 ** '' Stellerina'' Cramer, 1896 ** '' Tilesina''

Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people and fictional characters with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian c ...

, 1904 *

Agoninae Agoninae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Agonidae, part of the sculpin A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012)Life ...

Swainson, 1839 ** '' Agonopsis'' Gill, 1861 ** '' Agonus''

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

& Schneider, 1801 ** '' Freemanichthys'' Kanayama, 1991 ** '' Leptagonus'' Gill, 1861 ** '' Podothecus'' Gill, 1861 ** ''

Sarritor ''Sarritor'' is a genus of poachers native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Species There are currently three recognized species in this genus: * '' Sarritor frenatus'' ( C. H. Gilbert, 1896) (Sawback poacher) * '' Sarritor knipowitschi'' Lindberg ...

'' Cramer, 1896 *

Bathyagoninae Bathyagoninae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Agonidae, part of the sculpin A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes.Kane, E. A. and T. E. Higham. (2012) ...

, 1971 ** '' Bathyagonus'' Gilbert, 1890 ** '' Odontopyxis'' Lockington, 1880 ** '' Xeneretmus'' Gilbert, 1903

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1030003 Perciformes families Taxa described in 1839 Taxa named by William Swainson