Psychrolutidae (commonly known as marine sculpins, flathead sculpins, blobfishes, or tadpole sculpins) is a family of sculpins found in cool temperate waters throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with a few species ranging into cold and deep waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The vast majority are found in marine habitats, but a few range into freshwater habitats. The family reaches its greatest diversity in the North Pacific Ocean, but a few species are found as far south as Antarctica. The family contains over 216 recognized species in 63 genera. Their name is derived from the Greek psychrolouteo, meaning "to have a cold bath".
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👉 Psychrolutidae in the context of Mesopelagic
The mesopelagic zone (Greek μέσον, middle), also known as the middle pelagic or twilight zone, is the part of the pelagic zone that lies between the photic epipelagic and the aphotic bathypelagic zones. It is defined by light, and begins at the depth where only 1% of incident light reaches and ends where there is no light; the depths of this zone are between approximately 200 to 1,000 meters (660 to 3,280 ft) below the ocean surface.
The mesopelagic zone occupies about 60% of the planet's surface and about 20% of the ocean's volume, amounting to a large part of the total biosphere. It hosts a diverse biological community that includes bristlemouths, blobfish, bioluminescent jellyfish, giant squid, and myriad other unique organisms adapted to live in a low-light environment. It has long captivated the imagination of scientists, artists and writers; deep sea creatures are prominent in popular culture.
In this Dossier
Psychrolutidae in the context of Cottidae
The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. Following major taxonomic revisions, it contains about 118 species in 18 genera, the vast majority of which are either restricted to freshwater habitats or are amphidromous. They are referred to simply as cottids to avoid confusion with sculpins of other families.
Cottids are distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially in boreal and colder temperate climates. They are especially diverse in Lake Baikal and surrounding river basins. Only a few cottids inhabit marine habitats. Other sculpins restricted to marine habitats are now placed in the family Psychrolutidae. In Lake Baikal, many cottids live in deep water, below 170 m (560 ft). There are 24 known species in seven genera. These include, for instance, Abyssocottus korotneffi and Cottinella boulengeri which are among the deepest-living freshwater fish. Baikal is the deepest lake on Earth (1,642 m or 5,387 ft) and sculpins occupy even its greatest depths.