What is "snailfish"

Snailfish \Snail"fish`\, n. (Zo["o]l.) See Sea snail (a) .

n. Any member of the (taxlink Liparidae species noshow=1), a family of scorpaeniform marine fish.

1. n. small tadpole-shaped cold-water fishes with pelvic fins forming a sucker; related to lumpfish [syn: seasnail, sea snail, Liparis liparis]

2. [also: snailfishes (pl)]

The Liparidae, commonly known as snailfish or sea snails, are a family of scorpaeniform marine fishes. Widely distributed from the Arctic to Antarctic Oceans including the northern Pacific, the snailfish family contains about 30 genera and 410 species. They are closely related to the sculpins of the family Cottidae and the lumpfish of the family Cyclopteridae. Snailfish are sometimes included within the latter family.

The snailfish family is poorly studied and few specifics are known. Their elongated, tadpole-like bodies are similar in profile to the rattails. Their heads are large (compared to their size) with small eyes; their bodies are slender to deep, tapering to very small tails. The extensive dorsal and anal fins may merge or nearly merge with the tail fin. Snailfish are scaleless with a thin, loose gelatinous skin; some species, such as Acantholiparis opercularis have prickly spines, as well. Their teeth are small and simple with blunt cusps. The deep-sea species have prominent, well-developed sensory pores on the head, part of the animals' lateral line system.

The pectoral fins are large and provide the snailfish with its primary means of locomotion although they are fragile. They are benthic fish with pelvic fins modified to form an adhesive disc; this nearly circular disc is absent in Paraliparis and Nectoliparis species. Snailfish range in size from Paraliparis australis at to Polypera simushirae at some in length. The latter species may reach a weight of , but most species are smaller. Snailfish are of no interest to commercial fisheries.