Common Name
Atlantic Poacher
Year Described
Bloch & Schneider, 1801
Identification
Dorsal Fin: V-VIII, 5-8
Anal Fin: 6-8
Pectoral Fin: 15-17
Pelvic Fin: I, 2
Caudal Fin: 11 (principle)
Branchiostegal Rays: 5-6
Vertebrae: 44-49
Body very elongate and tapering posteriorly (deepest at pectoral fin), with a flattened head. Body and head covered with armored plates. Eyes large. Several rows of bony spines on the body (4 rows correspond to bony plates). Head expanded laterally and flattened, with numerous low bony ridges and spines. Snout protruding with several spines. Many fleshy filaments extend from ventral part of head. Mouth subterminal; reaches anterior margin of eye. There are two dorsal fins. Anal fin origin between two dorsal fins. Pectoral fins large, reaching posterior edge of first dorsal fin. Caudal fin long and rounded.
Color
Brown above and abruptly paler on the ventral half of body. There is variable darker brown mottling on the upper head and body. Several dark blotches or irregular saddles on the body. A dark stripe passes through eye. Fins with spot-bands of dark brown.
Size
Maximum size to 21cm SL.
Habitat
Benthic in cold waters (27-392m), on soft bottoms.
Range
Northwestern Atlantic: Greenland to eastern Canada (Grand Banks).
References
Froese, R. & D. Pauly. Editors. 2012. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication: www.fishbase.org, version (06/2012).
Fahay, M.P. 2005. Agonidae. In M.P. Fahay, Early stages of fishes in the western North Atlantic Ocean, Vol II, p. 982-986. Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, 1696 p.