The Cottidae is a family of demersal fish in the order Scorpaeniformes, suborder Cottoidei (or sculpins). There are about 300 species in 70 genera of Cottidae (cottids) that are mostly marine and found in shallow coastal waters in the northern and arctic regions.^[1] The highest diversity is in the North Pacific.

There are also some freshwater representatives in the family, particularly in the holarctic genus Cottus, including the spoonhead sculpin (Cottus ricei) of North America and the alpine bullhead (Cottus poecilopus) and bullhead (Cottus gobio) of Europe. The deepwater sculpin and fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) inhabit deep cold lakes of North America and Northern Europe, respectively. The latter is also found in brackish water the Baltic and Arctic seas.

Most cottids are small fish, under 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length, although some, such as the cabezon, are much larger, up to 72 centimetres (28 in) in length.^[1]

Genera

• Alcichthys Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Andriashevicottus Fedorov, 1990
• Antipodocottus Bolin, 1952
• Archistes Jordan and Gilbert in Jordan and Evermann, 1898
• Argyrocottus Herzenstein, 1892
• Artediellichthys Taranetz, 1941
• Artediellina Taranetz, 1937
• Artedielloides Soldatov, 1922
• Artediellus Jordan, 1885 - hookear sculpins
• Artedius Girard, 1856
• Ascelichthys Jordan and Gilbert, 1880
• Asemichthys Gilbert, 1912
• Astrocottus Bolin, 1936
• Atopocottus Bolin, 1936
• Batrachocottus Berg, 1903
• Bero Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Bolinia Yabe, 1991
• Chitonotus Lockington, 1879
• Clinocottus Gill, 1861 - sharpnose sculpins
• Cottiusculus Schmidt in Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Cottocomephorus Pellegrin, 1900
• Cottus Linnaeus, 1758 - freshwater sculpins, Miller's thumbs

Arctic hookear sculpin, Artediellus uncinatus

• Daruma Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Enophrys Swainson, 1839 - stone sculpins
• Furcina Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Gymnocanthus Swainson, 1839
• Hemilepidotus Cuvier, 1829
• Icelinus Jordan, 1885
• Icelus Krøyer, 1845
• Jordania Starks, 1895
• Leiocottus Girard, 1856
• Leocottus Taliev, 1955
• Lepidobero Qin and Jin, 1992
• Leptocottus Girard, 1854 - Pacific staghorn sculpins
• Megalocottus Gill, 1861
• Melletes Bean, 1880
• Mesocottus Gratzianov, 1907
• Micrenophrys Andriashev, 1954
• Microcottus Schmidt, 1940
• Myoxocephalus Tilesius, 1811

Longhorn sculpin, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus

• Ocynectes Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Oligocottus Girard, 1856 - tidepool johnnies
• Orthonopias Starks and Mann, 1911
• Paracottus Taliev in Berg, 1949
• Paricelinus Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1889
• Phallocottus Schultz, 1938
• Phasmatocottus Bolin, 1936
• Porocottus Gill, 1859 - fringed sculpins
• Pseudoblennius Temminck and Schlegel, 1850
• Radulinopsis Soldatov and Lindberg, 1930
• Radulinus Gilbert, 1890
• Rastrinus Jordan and Evermann, 1896
• Ricuzenius Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Ruscarius Jordan and Starks, 1895
• Scorpaenichthys Girard, 1854 - gabezones
• Sigmistes Rutter in Jordan and Evermann, 1898
• Stelgistrum Jordan and Gilbert in Jordan and Evermann, 1898

Ribbed sculpin, Triglops pingelii

• Stlegicottus Bolin, 1936
• Stlengis Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Synchirus Bean, 1890
• Taurocottus Soldatov and Pavlenko, 1915
• Taurulus Gratzianov, 1907
• Thyriscus Gilbert and Burke, 1912
• Trachidermus Heckel, 1837
• Trichocottus Soldatov and Pavlenko, 1915
• Triglops Reinhardt, 1830
• Vellitor Jordan and Starks, 1904
• Zesticelus Jordan and Evermann, 1896

See also

• List of fish families

References

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Cottidae" in FishBase. February 2006 version.
• "Cottidate". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=167196. Retrieved 31 March 2006.