Arctic alligatorfish

The Arctic alligatorfish[2] (Aspidophoroides olrikii) is a fish in the family Agonidae (poachers).[3] It was described by C.F. Lütken in 1877.[4] It is a marine and brackish-water dwelling fish which is known from the Arctic, the northwestern Atlantic and northwestern and northeastern Pacific Ocean, including Canada, Greenland, Siberia, the Barents Sea, the White Sea, the Kara Sea, the Chukchi Sea, the Bering Sea, the Bering Strait, and the Anadyr Gulf. It dwells at a depth range of 7–520 metres, in salinities of 30-35 ppt, and leads a benthic lifestyle, inhabiting sand and mud bottoms. It mostly lives in temperatures below 0 °C, but on rare occasions has been found in temperatures of 2-3 °C. Males can reach a maximum total length of 8.6 centimetres.[3]

Arctic alligatorfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Scorpaeniformes
Family:	Agonidae
Genus:	Aspidophoroides
Species:	A. olrikii
Binomial name
Aspidophoroides olrikii Lütken, 1877
Synonyms[1]
Ulcina olrikii (Lütken, 1877) Aspidophoroides olriki Lütken, 1877 Ulcina olriki (Lütken, 1877) Aspidophoroides guentherii Bean, 1885 Aspidophoroides guntheri Bean, 1885 Aspidophoroides güntherii Bean, 1885 Ulcina güntheri (Bean, 1885)

The diet of the Arctic alligatorfish consists of amphipods such as Dyopedos porrectus and Paradulichia typica, bivalves such as Macoma calcarea, ostracods, isopods, and nemertine worms.[5]

References

1. Synonyms of Aspidophoroides olrikii at www.fishbase.org.
2. Common names for Aspidophoroides olrikii at www.fishbase.org.
3. Aspidophoroides olrikii at www.fishbase.org.
4. Lütken, C. F., 1877 [ref. 17566] Korte bidrag til nordisk Ichthyographi. I. Foreløbige Meddelelser om nordiske Ulkefiske (Cottoidei). Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra den Naturhistoriske Forening i Kjøbenhavn, Aaret 1876-1877: 355-388 + 72-98.
5. Food items reported for Aspidophoroides olrikii at www.fishbase.org.