''Careproctus'' is a genus of snailfishes found in benthic and benthopelagic habitats in the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Southern Oceans. Whether they truly are absent from the Indian Ocean (except for a couple of species in Subantarctic waters) is unknown and might be an artifact of limited sampling. They range from shallow coastal seas in the far north of their range to the abyssal zone, at depths of . In the Northern Hemisphere they mostly live shallower than ''Paraliparis'', but this pattern is reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. Although almost entirely restricted to very cold waters, a single species, ''C. hyaleius'', lives at hydrothermal vents. Its generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek κάρα (''kara'', "face, head") and πρωκτός (''prōktos'', "anus"), therefore literally meaning "butt-face". ''Careproctus'' have one pair of nostrils and a ventral suction disc but lack a pseudobranch. They are tadpole-like in shape and reach up to in standard length, but most species are far smaller. Like other snailfish, they lack scales and have a loose gelatinous skin; a few species are covered in prickly spines. Most species of ''Careproctus'' are poorly known, but they feed on small animals and some have unusual breeding behaviors: At least ''C. ovigerus'' appears to be a mouth brooder where the eggs are carried and develop in the males' mouth. ''C. fulvus'' has a commensal relationship with glass sponges, laying their eggs in the spongocoel, paragastric cavity. Several other ''Careproctus'' species are parasitic on king crabs (at least ''Lithodes'', ''Neolithodes'' and ''Paralithodes'', and likely ''Echidnocerus''), laying their egg mass in the gill chamber of the crab, forming a well-protected and well-aerated mobile "home" until they hatch. As far as known, these parasitic ''Careproctus'' are not host specific, but will use various king crab species, and on occasion an individual king crab may even carry the eggs of more than one ''Careproctus'' species at the same time. Additionally, small ''Careproctus''—no more than long—have been seen together with ''Lithodes'' and ''Paralomis'' king crabs, hitching rides by attaching themselves to the crab's legs or back. In contrast, a ''C. reinhardti'' (species complex) in an aquarium deposited its eggs on the glass, but whether this resembles its wild behavior is unknown.

Species

There are currently about 125 recognized species in this genus, but new species are regularly described and it is likely to actually contain more than 140. It formerly also included the species now separated in the genus ''Volodichthys''. * ''Careproctus abbreviatus'' Charles Victor Burke, Burke, 1930 * ''Careproctus acaecus'' Anatoly Petrovich Andriyashev, Andriashev, 1991 (appendage-less snailfish) * ''Careproctus acanthodes'' Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (toge snailfish) * ''Careproctus aciculipunctatus'' Andriashev & Natalia Vladimirovna Chernova, Chernova, 1997 (finely-speckled snailfish) * ''Careproctus acifer'' Andriashev & David Leslie Stein, Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus aculeolatus'' Andriashev, 1991 (small-spine snailfish) * ''Careproctus albescens'' Keppel Harcourt Barnard, Barnard, 1927 *''Careproctus ambustus'' * ''Careproctus ampliceps'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus armatus'' Andriashev, 1991 * ''Careproctus atakamensis'' Andriashev, 1998 * ''Careproctus atrans'' Andriashev, 1991 (black snailfish) * ''Careproctus attenuatus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus aureomarginatus'' Andriashev, 1991 (marginate snailfish) * ''Careproctus bathycoetus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus batialis'' Alexander Mikhailovich Popov, Popov, 1933 * ''Careproctus bowersianus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus cactiformis'' Andriashev, 1990 * ''Careproctus candida'' Charles Henry Gilbert, C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (bigeye snailfish) * ''Careproctus canus'' Kaoru Kido, Kido, 1985 * ''Careproctus carinatus'' Chernova, 2014 (keel-belly snailfish)Chernova, N.V. (2014): New species of the genus ''Careproctus'' (Liparidae) from the Kara Sea and identification key for congeners of the North Atlantic and Arctic. ''Journal of Ichthyology, 54 (10): 757-780.'' * ''Careproctus colletti'' C. H. Gilbert, 1896 (Alaska snailfish) * ''Careproctus comus'' J. W. Orr & Katherine Pearson Maslenikov, Maslenikov, 2007 (comic snailfish) * ''Careproctus continentalis'' Andriashev & Valentina Pavlovna Prirodina, Prirodina, 1990 * ''Careproctus credispinulosus'' Andriashev & Prirodina, 1990 * ''Careproctus crozetensis'' Guy Duhamel, Duhamel & Nicola J. King, N. J. King, 2007 * ''Careproctus curilanus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus cyclocephalus'' Kido, 1983 * ''Careproctus cypseluroides'' Peter Yulevich Schmidt, P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 * ''Careproctus cypselurus'' (David Starr Jordan, D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1898) * ''Careproctus derjugini'' Natalia Vladimirovna Chernova, Chernova, 2005 (Derjugin's snailfish) * ''Careproctus discoveryae'' Guy Duhamel, Duhamel & N. J. King, 2007 * ''Careproctus dubius'' Erich Zugmayer, Zugmayer, 1911 (doubtful snailfish) * ''Careproctus ectenes'' C. H. Gilbert, 1896 * ''Careproctus eltaninae'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus falklandica'' (Einar Lönnberg, Lönnberg, 1905) * ''Careproctus faunus'' J. W. Orr & Maslenikov, 2007 (mischievous snailfish) * ''Careproctus fedorovi'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus filamentosus'' Stein, 1978 * ''Careproctus fulvus'' Chernova, 2014 (fulvous snailfish)Chernova, N.V. (2014): New species of the genus ''Careproctus'' (Liparidae) from the Kara Sea with notes on spongiophilia, reproductive commensalism between fishes and sponges (Rossellidae). ''Journal of Ichthyology, 54 (8): 501-512.'' * ''Careproctus furcellus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912, 1912 * ''Careproctus georgianus'' Lönnberg, 1905 * ''Careproctus gilberti'' Burke, 1912 (small-disk snailfish) * ''Careproctus griseldea'' Domenec Lloris, Lloris, 1982 * ''Careproctus guillemi'' Jesús Matallanas García, Matallanas, 1998 * ''Careproctus homopterus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus hyaleius'' Patrick Geistdoerfer, Geistdoerfer, 1994 * ''Careproctus improvisus'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus inflexidens'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus kamikawai'' J. W. Orr, 2012 (arbiter snailfish)Orr, J.W. (2012): Two New Species of Snailfishes of the Genus ''Careproctus'' (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) from the Bering Sea and Eastern North Pacific Ocean, with a Redescription of ''Careproctus ovigerus''. ''Copeia, 2012 (2): 257-265.'' * ''Careproctus karaensis'' Chernova, 2014 (Kara snailfish) * ''Careproctus kidoi'' Steen Wilhelm Knudsen, Knudsen & Peter Rask Møller, Møller, 2008 (Kido's snailfish) * ''Careproctus knipowitschi'' Chernova, 2005 (Knipowitsch's snailfish) * ''Careproctus lacmi'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus latiosus'' Andriashev & Chernova, 2011 (broad-mouth snailfish) * ''Careproctus leptorhinus'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus lerikimae'' J. W. Orr, Yoshiaki Kai, Y. Kai & Tetsuji Nakabo, Nakabo, 2015 (dusty snailfish) * ''Careproctus longifilis'' Samuel Garman, Garman, 1892 * ''Careproctus longipectoralis'' Duhamel, 1992 * ''Careproctus longipinnis'' Burke, 1912 (long-feather snailfish) * ''Careproctus lycopersicus'' J. W. Orr, 2012 * ''Careproctus macranchus'' Andriashev, 1991 * ''Careproctus macrodiscus'' P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 * ''Careproctus macrophthalmus'' Chernova, 2005 (big-eye snailfish) * ''Careproctus maculosus'' Stein, 2006 * ''Careproctus magellanicus'' Matallanas & Germán Pequeño Reyes, Pequeño, 2000 * ''Careproctus marginatus'' Kido, 1988 * ''Careproctus maslenikovae'' J. W. Orr, 2021 (blushing snailfish) * ''Careproctus mederi'' P. Y. Schmidt, 1916 * ''Careproctus melanuroides'' P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 * ''Careproctus melanurus'' C. H. Gilbert, 1892 (black-tail snailfish) * ''Careproctus merretti'' Andriashev & Chernova, 1988 (Merret's snailfish) * ''Careproctus mica'' Chernova, 2014 (babbie snailfish) * ''Careproctus micropus'' (Albert Günther, Günther, 1887) (small-eye snailfish) * ''Careproctus microstomus'' Stein, 1978 * ''Careproctus minimus'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus mollis'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus moskalevi'' Andriashev & Chernova, 2012 (Moskalev's snailfish) * ''Careproctus narilobus'' Stein, 2012Stein, D.L. (2012): A Review of the Snailfishes (Liparidae, Scorpaeniformes) of New Zealand, Including Descriptions of a New Genus and Sixteen New Species. ''Zootaxa, 3588: 1–54.'' * ''Careproctus nigricans'' Peter Yulevich Schmidt, P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 * ''Careproctus notosaikaiensis'' Yoshiaki Kai, Y. Kai, Shinichiro Ikeguchi, Ikeguchi & Tetsuji Nakabo, Nakabo, 2011 * ''Careproctus novaezelandiae'' Andriashev, 1990 * ''Careproctus opisthotremus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus oregonensis'' Stein, 1978 (small-fin snailfish) * ''Careproctus ostentum'' C. H. Gilbert, 1896 * ''Careproctus ovigerus'' (C. H. Gilbert, 1896) (abyssal snailfish) * ''Careproctus pallidus'' (Leon Louis Vaillant, Vaillant, 1888) * ''Careproctus parvidiscus'' Hisashi Imamura, Imamura & Takahiro Nobetsu, Nobetsu, 2002 * ''Careproctus parviporatus'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus patagonicus'' Matallanas & Pequeño, 2000 * ''Careproctus paxtoni'' Stein, Chernova & Andriashev, 2001 (blunt-tooth snailfish) * ''Careproctus pellucicauda'' Stein, 2012 * ''Careproctus pellucidus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (pellucid snailfish) * ''Careproctus phasma'' C. H. Gilbert, 1896 (spectral snailfish) * ''Careproctus polarsterni'' Duhamel, 1992 * ''Careproctus profundicola'' Duhamel, 1992 * ''Careproctus pseudoprofundicola'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus pycnosoma'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus ranula'' (George Brown Goode, Goode & Tarleton Hoffman Bean, T. H. Bean, 1879) (froggy snailfish) * ''Careproctus rastrinoides'' P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 * ''Careproctus rastrinus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (salmon snailfish) * ''Careproctus rausuensis'' Keisuke Machi, Machi, Nobetsu & Mamoru Yabe, Yabe, 2012Machi, K., Nobetsu, T. & Yabe, M. (2012): ''Careproctus rausuensis'', a New Liparid Fish (Percomorphacea: Cottiformes), Collected from Hokkaido, Japan. ''Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Science, Ser. A., Supplement No. 6: 33–40.'' * ''Careproctus reinhardti'' (Krøyer, 1862) (sea tadpole) * ''Careproctus rhodomelas'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus rimiventris'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus rosa'' Chernova, 2014 (rose snailfish) * ''Careproctus roseofuscus'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (round snailfish) * ''Careproctus rotundifrons'' Hiroshi Sakurai, H. Sakurai & Gento Shinohara, Shinohara, 2008 * ''Careproctus sandwichensis'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus scaphopterus'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus scottae'' Wilbert McLeod Chapman, W. M. Chapman & Allan Clark DeLacy, DeLacy, 1934 (peach-skin snailfish) * ''Careproctus segaliensis'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus seraphimae'' P. Y. Schmidt, 1950 *''Careproctus shigemii'' * ''Careproctus simus'' [C. H. Gilbert, 1896 * ''Careproctus sinensis'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 * ''Careproctus solidus'' Chernova, 1999 (firm-body snailfish) * ''Careproctus spectrum'' T. H. Bean, 1890 (stippled snailfish) * ''Careproctus spiraki'' J. W. Orr, 2021 (pimpled snailfish) * ''Careproctus steini'' Andriashev & Prirodina, 1990 * ''Careproctus stigmatogenus'' Stein, 2006 * ''Careproctus tapirus'' Chernova, 2005 (tapir snailfish) * ''Careproctus telescopus'' Chernova, 2005 (telescope snailfish) * ''Careproctus tomiyamai'' * ''Careproctus trachysoma'' C. H. Gilbert & Burke, 1912 (rough snailfish) * ''Careproctus tricapitidens'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus uter'' Chernova, 2014 (drop-shaped snailfish) * ''Careproctus vladibeckeri'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998 * ''Careproctus zachirus'' Kido, 1985 * ''Careproctus zispi'' Andriashev & Stein, 1998

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q146193 Liparidae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Henrik Nikolai Krøyer Careproctus,