A sculpin is a type of fish that belongs to the superfamily Cottoidea in the order Perciformes. As of 2025, this superfamily contains 5 families, 112 genera, and 405 species.
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.
Families and subfamilies
Families include:
- Family Rhamphocottidae <small>Jordan & Gilbert, 1883</small> (horsehead sculpins)
- Family Cottidae <small>Bonaparte, 1831</small> (sculpins)
- Family Psychrolutidae <small>Günther, 1861</small> (marine sculpins)
- Family Jordaniidae <small>Jordan & Evermann, 1898</small> (longfin sculpins)
- Family Agonidae <small>Swainson, 1839</small> (poachers)
- Subfamily Agoninae <small>Swainson, 1839</small> (sturgeon poachers)
- Subfamily Anoplagoninae <small>Gill, 1861</small> (alligator fishes)
- Subfamily Bathyagoninae <small>Lindberg, 1971</small> (starsnouts)
- Subfamily Brachyopsinae <small>Jordan & Evermann, 1898</small> (uppermouth poachers)
- Subfamily Hypsagoninae <small>Gill, 1861</small> (dragon poachers)
- Subfamily Bothragoninae <small>Lindberg, 1971</small> (rockheads)
- Subfamily Hemitripterinae <small>Gill, 1865</small> (sailfin sculpins)
Gallery
References