wolffish

/woolf"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) wolffish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) wolffishes.

1. any large fish of the genus Anarhichas, as A. lupus of the northern Atlantic, allied to the blenny and noted for its ferocious appearance and habits.

2. lancetfish.

[1560-70; WOLF + FISH]

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▪ fish

 any of five species of large, long-bodied fishes of the family Anarhichadidae (order Perciformes), found in northern Atlantic and Pacific waters. The largest species may grow to a length of about 2.3 m (7.5 feet). Wolffishes have a large head and a long, tapered body surmounted by a single, long dorsal fin. Their formidable teeth consist of large canines and heavy molars capable of handling a diet of crabs, starfishes, sea urchins, and other prey.

      Wolffishes are found from the shoreline to depths of 300 m or more. Known as catfishes in Europe, they are taken there and in the United States for food. Species include the wolffish (Anarhichas lupus), a vertically banded North Atlantic species; the spotted wolffish, or spotted catfish (A. minor), also of the North Atlantic; and the wolf-eel (Anarhichthys ocellatus), a black-spotted form found in the eastern Pacific.

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